


Visiting the Reunited Kingdom

by 4gardiean



Series: Arandur Denethor [1]
Category: TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms, The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Fourth Age, Third Age, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-05
Updated: 2019-04-20
Packaged: 2019-05-02 13:09:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 58,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14545425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/4gardiean/pseuds/4gardiean
Summary: During a family trip in Anórien, the steward's family finds themselves trapped in a deep fog. Once they manage to escape it, they find out that they are not where they are supposed to be. They discover that they are in the fourth age. Besides learning about this age they have to find a way to return to their own time.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own the characters from Lord of the Rings. They belong to the Tolkien estate.

**T.A. 2983**

During a sunny spring morning, the steward's family gathers in their dining room for their breakfast. The first person to enter the room is Denethor who is dressed in ceremonial robes as he has a court session soon after breakfast. He sits down in his chair and waits for his wife and oldest son to join him. His youngest is still too young to join them for breakfast as he is but two months old. Not long after he sat down his oldest son, Boromir runs into the room closely followed by his mother, Finduilas. Finduilas has to smile at her son's enthusiasm. As the entire family starts to eat their breakfast Denethor asks

"How is Faramir faring this morning?"

"He has been fed and is sleeping quietly right now. Or at least he was asleep when I left the nursery. I imagine that he will be awake in a few hours" Finduilas answers calmly. She is relieved that Faramir is a calmer baby than his brother was so that she can spend some more time reading without having to interrupt it because her young son wants attention. Still, as he is so young he still requires frequent feeding. As such she keeps him close to her in a basket as she reads in the garden, the nursery or her own room.

"That is good to hear. Will you be spending the day in the nursery?" Denethor asks and once he receives confirmation, says "Then I will join you there after the court session"

"Of course, meleth" Finduilas says distractedly while looking out of the window. This arouses Denethor's interest as it isn't normal for her to be easily distracted.

"What is it, meleth?" Denethor asks in an attempt to find out what is distracting his wife. Finduilas stays silent for a while as she ponders how to tell her husband what is on her mind. After some consideration, she decides that the best way to tell him is telling him directly.

"I would like to ride with our sons for a while. I want to see something different than stones and would love to see the plans and forests of Anórien once more" Finduilas says and looks at her husband hopefully.

Denethor is a bit annoyed at this. Not for the request from his wife but because he can't be sure that the area is safe. There have been sightings of orcs and other threats recently. He doesn't know how to let his wife have her wish without having to bring a company of guards with them. Normally, they would take but a few of them with them but if he wants to give his wife her wish they will have to take a company with them. He refuses to let his wife and children ride in Anórien without him being around. That way he can protect them himself together with the guards.

When he looks at his wife's face again he curses himself. Her eyes make it impossible for him to deny her wish and he sighs once accepting the inevitable before saying

"I have time to go with you tomorrow afternoon. We will be taking a company of guards with us when we go"

"Please, meleth. You don't need to stress yourself. I know how much work you have to do and I could go alone with our sons and the guards. You don't need to accompany us. Not that I wouldn't like it. Just don't stress yourself needlessly" Finduilas says worriedly. She knows that he has a tendency to overwork himself from time to time. Whenever he does that she misses their friend Gil immensely. He would be able to pull her husband from his work and get him to take the rest he needs. Unfortunately, other tasks called him away. When Denethor learned of this he was greatly saddened. Denethor's sadness was not just at the loss of a friend but also for other reasons. These reasons she doesn't know. Not for a lack of trying on her part but because her husband refuses to talk to her about these reasons. He has been quite tight-lipped about it.

"It is out of the question that you will leave without me. You know that that area is not safe. I couldn't bear it to hear that something has happened to you or our sons and that I wasn't there with you. Also, I already have little time to spend with you and our boys. As such I want to come along just that I will have some time to sound with my family. I promise you that I will not overwork myself" Denethor tells his wife with a kiss on her cheek.

"Of course, meleth. I will prepare everything for the trip except for the guards. I will leave that up to you" Finduilas tells her husband with a smile. He agrees with her and they finish their breakfast in silence. Afterward, everyone goes their separate way. Afterward, the day goes on as normal for the family.

* * *

During the afternoon of the next day, ten horses are being saddled in the sixth level of Minas Tirith by grooms while Denethor and Finduilas are making their way down from the citadel to the horses. During the trip, Finduilas has to think back on the preparations she has done. Most of the supplies she sent down early in the morning so that the grooms can put it in the saddlebags to ensure that the weight is evenly distributed. Among the supplies is camping equipment and she still can't figure out epithet reason why they would need it. The only she knows is that she had a strong feeling that they would need it. Finduilas feels sure that they will find out in time why she had this feeling.

Besides the camping equipment, there are also a few blankets so that they can sit on the ground when eating the snacks she had the cooks prepare. These snacks she sent down one hour ago. She did this to ensure that the snack will be as fresh as possible when they will be eating them later today.

Also, she has to think about the discussion she had with Denethor about the riding arrangements for their sons. They quickly agreed that she would keep Faramir strapped to her chest and that Boromir would ride with Denethor. When they told Boromir about it, he protested loudly. Knowing her son he will soon be starting to protest about it again.

"Boromir! Don't run ahead of us" Denethor calls after Boromir when he breaks away from them and starts to run ahead of them. She smiles at her son's enthusiasm and she takes a look at her youngest. Faramir is sleeping soundly in the straps that hold him to her chest.

Looking back to her husband and oldest son she sees that Denethor has managed to get a hold of him and is scolding him. She knows why Denethor doesn't want Boromir to run ahead of them. Their oldest has a unique talent for finding trouble and by keeping him close they try to limit the possibility of him finding trouble. It would be bad should Boromir find trouble during the trip they are going to make. Finduilas sees that Denethor and Boromir wait for her to catch up to them. Not long after she joined them do they leave the citadel and are joined by some of the guards who will be accompanying them. It doesn't take long before Boromir starts to protest again about the riding arrangements much to his parent's irritation.

"Why can't I ride on my pony?"

"Because we will not be staying in the Rammas Echor. You are too young yet to ride on your own outside of it. That is why you won't ride on your pony, Boromir" Denethor tells his son.

"But father ..." Boromir starts but he father interrupts him

"No, Boromir. I won't discuss it with you. This discussion ends right now"

"Not fair!" Boromir says while giving his father a sour look. He doesn't like it that he has to ride with his father now that he is finally learning how to ride on his pony. He really likes these lessons and wants to practice as much as he possibly can. But he also knows from his father's reaction that it is of little use for him to continue to try and get his way. His father won't change his mind if he uses the voice he just used.

A short while later the family arrives at the stables where they can see that everything is ready for them to leave. Denethor can see that the other guards that will be going with them are standing next to horse they will ride. This tells him that their escort is now complete and they can leave the city for the trip they want to make. He feels sure that once Boromir sees the landscape of Anórien that he will not mind having to ride with him. In fact, Denethor believes that his son will be asking a lot of questions then. He and Finduilas will be quite busy with answering them.

Ten minutes later, the family and their escort are making their way down to the gates and are on their way to Anórien.

* * *

One hour later the group is riding through the open fields of Anórien while Denethor is busy answering all the questions that come from his enthusiastic son. The questions vary from asking about the plants to asking about all the animals that they can see or hear. Whenever he has the chance Denethor glances at his wife who rides beside him to see how much she is enjoying their ride. He can see that the guards ride around them to be able to protect them should danger approach. Still, they don't obscure their sight of the landscape as Denethor requested of them. It wouldn't do to go for a ride and not being able to see the landscape because the guards obscure the sight.

Denethor glances at his wife when Boromir runs out of questions to asks. He can see that this trip is doing her good for she looks more content and at ease out here. He has always known that the city of Minas Tirith is to enclosing for her taste. Finduilas always been a person who loves to be out in the lands. She always rode over the strands, the open plains or the forests near her birthing place, Dol Amroth. Since their marriage, she hasn't been able to ride a lot as their duties don't allow them much time for rides. They always have to reserve time for it and he knows that this irritates her. She manages to quell her desire to be outside by doing research in the archive. This is also something which she loves doing. As he looks around himself Denethor remembers why he always loved being out of the city. The open land gives him a measure of freedom which he always missed in Minas Tirith. As the steward of Gondor, it is rare for him to be able to leave the city and thus intends to enjoy this trip as much as possible.

"Boromir? Do you like this trip?" Denethor asks his son. This is Borormir's first trip with his new brother. The previous trips Boromir always rode with his mother. Right now Denethor wonders what his son thinks of this trip when he has to ride with his father. Alright, if he is honest with himself then he already knows the answer if he bases his son's opinion of this trip on the number of questions he asked. Still, Denethor wants to hear from his son personally what he thinks about this trip.

"Yes, ada. I like it. I have never seen so many different plants nor heard so many animals. I want to do this more often. Please, ada?" Boromir asks pleadingly.

"Of course we can do it more often, ion nin" Denethor answers laughingly. He is greatly pleased that his son's opinion corresponds to what he already expected it to be. Denethor vowes to himself that he will go with his family more often on these kinds of trips. He wants to see his wife more often this happy and at ease. Also, when they go on future trips Denethor intends to teach Boromir the things he needs to know about the area and the animals that live here. Faramir he will teach the same things once he is old enough to learn it.

"I'm glad you like it, Boromir. I like it also" Finduilas says and draws Denethor's and Boromir's attention to her. She has greatly enjoyed the time she spends in nature. It is something which she has missed greatly so she intends to enjoy it while it lasts. She would like to have these kinds of trips more often but knows that they don't have the time for it. Their duties demand a lot of their time.

Looking down at her chest to see what Faramir is doing she sees that he is awake and is making cooing noises. She smiles as this shows that he is enjoying the ride and that the movement of the horse pacifies him. She is glad he enjoys it as Boromir didn't like to ride when he was Faramir's age and awake. This makes riding much more enjoyable.

Finduilas smiles at her son and husband but the smile instantly disappears when she notices that a fog is suddenly appearing around them. This doesn't make any sense to her as the weather didn't give them any of the indications that typically indicate that a fog will come. She sees that Denethor also stiffens as well as the guards. They know that ensuring their safety is a lot more difficult when one rides in fog. Dangers can hide much more easily in fog. She moves her horse closer to her husband's to make the work of the guards easier and also to feel a bit safer. As the fog hasn't stopped thickening she doesn't want to take the risk that she will lose sight of her family.

"Meleth, please stay close to me. I don't like this fog at all" Denethor says while looking her in the eye. At Boromir's gasp, the both turn their eyes back to the fog and see that is has become so thick that they can't see the guards. What is strange is that they can't seem to hear the guards. This worries them both and looking at each other and come to the same conclusion that this is no normal fog.


	2. Chapter 2

**FoA 8**

Denethor and Finduilas are carefully riding ahead in the fog when they notice that it seems to be slowly dissolving around them. They start to see faint outlines of trees appearing around them. As the fog continues to dissolve they also start to see the outline of a mountain appearing on their right side. Finduilas isn't sure what the name of the mountain is but Denethor is certain what mountain on their right side is called. This results in him cursing under his breath and for him to desperately look for the guards. He feels that they need to leave this area as soon as possible but when he doesn't see the guards his heart sinks. It is then that he isn't sure how he will keep his family safe where they are. He knows that orcs repeatedly travel in this land and that is one of the biggest threats to his family. As he is alone and has Boromir riding before him he knows that he can't protect them sufficiently. He does know that the only way for them to stay safe is to seek refuge in Henneth Annûn as fast a possible. Unfortunately, he isn't sure how far from the outpost they are removed. For that, he will have to travel on foot a bit into the mountains to get a better overview of the area. That way he can determine their location and decide what the safest and faster path to Henneth Annûn will be. Until he can figure that out he knows that the best thing for them to do is to move in a northward direction. Hopefully, they will be able to find a good place to spend the night. In the morning he will make a trip into the mountain to determine which path they need to take to get to Henneth Annûn. He hopes that they will be able to reach the outpost tomorrow for he doesn't want to be out here with his family any longer than is absolutely necessary.

"Ada, it is bad to curse. Nana always tells me how bad it is to curse. You shouldn't do it, ada." Boromir tells his father when he heard him curse and continue to do so. As he talks Boromir tries to look his father into the eye. He gives up on looking his father into the eye once he figures out that he won't be able to look his father in the eye. It is then that he looks to his mother and asks.

"Nana? Why don't you scold ada?"

He doesn't understand why his mother doesn't tell his father that it is bad to curse. Thus he wants to know why his mother doesn't say anything.

Finduilas doesn't answer her son but only puts a finger to her lips to tell her son to be quiet. She knows from Denethor's reaction that wherever they are isn't good. He is normally a composed person and for him to curse it means that the situation isn't good at all. In fact, she has only heard him curse on a few rare occasions. Those few occasions were always when he learned that something bad had happened.

"Why do I have to be quiet, nana?" Boromir asks for he doesn't understand why his mother tells him to be quiet.

"Boromir! Listen to your mother and be quiet. This isn't a safe area we are in. You remember what I told you about Ithilien, don't you?" Denethor asks while whispering. He gets a solemn nod from his son in answer.

"Yes, ada. I remember you telling me that bad people travel through Ithilien to attack your warriors. Are we in Ithilien?" Boromir asks frighteningly as tears start to form in his eyes.

"Yes, Boromir. We are in Ithilien and that is why you should be quiet. Should bad people travel through these lands then we don't want them to notice us for they could attack us then." Denethor whispers and when he sees that his son is close to crying he whispers.

"Don't worry, my son, I will do my utmost best to keep you, your mother and brother safe. Also, I know where we can find refuge. It is there that I intend to take us all. Now we need to be silent so as not to be noticed, do we?"

Boromir shakes his head and afterward the family travels as silently as possible through Ithilien until midday. Around that time Denethor starts to look for a place where they can take a short break and which will also allow him to leave his family behind. He needs to go up into the mountain to see where they are.

After a search of around fifteen minutes, Denethor finally finds the place that offers exactly what he needs. It is there that they wholeheartedly enjoy the food Finduilas has had the grooms pack on the horses before they left Minas Tirith. He and Finduilas are glad that they had brought food with them. It saves them from having to go look for something to eat in the surrounding area. Considering their location it could be incredibly dangerous to do so. They keep Boromir close between them as they don't want him to unintentionally attract attention to them.

Meanwhile, Finduilas takes the opportunity to feed Faramir. By doing this she ensures that he will be quiet for another few hours and won't attract any attention to them by crying. They enjoy the food for about ten minutes before they put everything away. Once they are done with this Denethor turns to his wife and says.

"Fin, I will be going up into the mountain to see what the fastest and safest path to Henneth Annûn is. In the meantime, I need you to stay here with the children and prepare our camp for the evening. I doubt that we will have enough time left to travel and find a place to stay for the night once I come back from the mountain."

It is then that he reaches into his boot and takes out the knife he always keeps there. It is a habit he taught himself to be able to protect the people he cares about when there were assassins in Minas Tirith. He holds the knife out to Finduilas while saying.

"Take this, meleth. I don't want you to be unarmed here while you are alone. You need something to defend yourself and our children with. It can also be used to help you prepare the camp as I'm sure you know full well. Should you be found by orcs or Haradrim and be unable to fight them off then don't let yourself or our children be taken alive."

At this Denethor stops as a lump appears in his throat. Thinking about it saddens him while he is also fully aware that what he says is not unlikely to happen. In fact, from the latest report he got from the ranger if Ithilien it is a realistic possibility. Taking a deep breath to hide his feeling and putting up an encouraging smile he says.

"I hope you will not need to do it, meleth nin."

Smiling reassuringly at her husband Finduilas says.

"I hope so too, meleth. I hope so too. But that does not mean that I don't understand why you request this of me. Don't worry I will do my best to keep our children and myself safe from harm. You focus on finding us a path to safety." Finduilas says and when she sees his pleading look she adds.

"Of course should worst come to worst I will do just as you have asked of me."

At the same time as Finduilas says this she wraps her arms around her husband and hugs him tightly. She knows that this could very well be the last time they see each other alive so they give each other a goodbye kiss just in case. Afterward, Finduilas puts the knife in her belt while her husband says goodbye to Faramir before turning towards Boromir.

"Boromir, I need to leave for some time to find us a path to a safe place. As I'm away you will have to listen carefully to your mother and not give her any trouble." Denethor tells his son before hugging him tightly.

"When will you be back, ada?" Boromir asks nervously. He wants to know how long his father needs to leave them. As he knows how dangerous this place is he doesn't want to be here without his father for too long. He can't protect his mother and little brother without his father's help.

"I don't know, ion nin, I don't know. I hope to be back before sundown but I can't promise you anything." Denethor says and then mounts on his horse. Without looking at his family Denethor rides in the direction of the Ephel Dúath. He knows that if he rides back that he won't be able to continue. He has to continue if he wants to ensure his family's safety.

He rides for about an hour before he ties his horse to a tree as his horse can't climb the mountain any higher. Thus he is forced to move further on foot into the mountain. It took him so long to get to this point as he had to travel as carefully and as silently as possible through the landscape because he doesn't want to attract any attention to him. As he climbs the mountain he notices that the sky isn't as dark as he remembers it being so close to Mordor. This makes Denethor frown for it doesn't at up. He doesn't know what this means and that worries him. There is little he doesn't understand or could learn about and that worries him. Shaking his head Denethor scolds himself for letting his thoughts wander. He needs to climb faster so that he can return to his family. Thus climbs further and after some time reaches a point from where he is able to see the entire landscape.

Looking over the landscape, Denethor focusses his attention on where Henneth Annûn is located. He can see that they have a long way to go to reach Henneth Annûn. In fact, he can tell that it will be quicker for them to go to Osgiliath. Osgiliath is closer to them than Henneth Annûn. From this distance, he is unable to tell the condition of the city. More importantly, he can't tell how many troops will be there and if they will see them once they approach the city. He hopes they will notice them once they approach. Taking a close look at the area, Denethor determines the fastest path for them to take to Osgiliath. Once he has done that he climbs down the mountain to where he left his horse. When he reaches his horse he unties him from the tree and pads his neck. He quickly checks the saddle and stirrups before he mounts his horse and makes his way back to the camp and his family.

Just when he approaches the camp, Denethor can see a group of riders moving in the direction of his family’s camp. He wonders if they know that his family is there and where their allegiance lies. Their allegiance will determine if they are friendly or not. He hopes that they are friendly even though it is strange for a group of Gondor's army to be this far south in Ithilien. He knows he should not be to upset as with their help he will be able to keep his family safe. Besides he is aware that he doesn't know everything about Gondor's army as that if the duty of the captain-general. A position he hopes to give to Boromir in time. As for Faramir, only time will tell which position he is best suited for.

To figure out the group's allegiance he takes a closer look at the group. Unfortunately, he isn't able to make out anything that can tell him something about it. From this distance, he can't see any details on their clothing. What he can see is that they are all wearing green and brown clothing which allows them to blend in with the surroundings. He is aware that the Ithilien rangers wear such clothing but also knows that they are not the only once. It frustrates him that he is unable to ascertain the group's allegiance based on their clothing.

Looking at the group once more, Denethor tries to figure out from which direction they came as that is the only option he has which can tell him if they are rangers. He sees that they came from the south. This is the wrong direction for them to be rangers. It opens the possibility for them to be Haradrim. But then, Haradrim normally don't wear clothing in such colors. All in all, it is a confusing situation and he knows that he needs to get back to his family as soon as possible. To get back quickly he pushes his horse to move faster. Denethor hopes that if these people hear the sound of his horse that they expect a messenger and thus will be stopping for a bit. Or at least don't think of the sound as threatening. Should they stop then that will allow him to reach his family before they do. Once they will reach his family then he will be there to protect them. Finduilas won't be able to protect their children on her own as the group is too large for her. Besides, he feels more comfortable if he is present when his family faces this unknown and most likely dangerous group.

* * *

Finduilas uses the time that Denethor is away to set up the camp for the evening. She has put Faramir on the blanket they used to sit on before once they have gathered enough for everyone to eat. She knows that it isn't nearly enough to still their hunger. They will have to do with this as the area doesn't provide more. If she had her bow and arrow with her than she could have caught a rabbit which would sate everyone more than the berries and nuts they now have for supper. She puts the food in one of the containers they brought with them. Boromir is quick to place the flasks of water he has been carrying beside the containers. As she looks to see what her son is doing she sees that he is standing behind her. He looks at her with an eager expression. Finduilas is aware that Boromir is too young to fully understand the danger they are in. He is aware that this area is not safe, but doesn't know the full extent of the danger they are facing. As she needs to clean the food she found she sends Boromir to gather firewood in the area.

"Boromir, I want you to go gather firewood so that I can build a fire to keep us warm during the night. Don't stray too far. I want you to stay within hearing distance. That way I will be able to tell if you are safe and I can keep an eye on you."

"Yes, nana" Boromir answers dutifully and hurries to do as he is told. He doesn't like it that he can't go far to gather firewood. In the area, he is allowed to search he can find barely anything to build a fire with. There are but a few branches but they are all really small. He hasn't seen many fires, in fact, barely any. Still, he knows that if his mother is to build them a fire then she will need many more of if all that he can find is such small branches.

Boromir stops for a moment and considers his choices. He can try to gather as many branches as can be found in the area he is allowed to be in or he moves further away and sees if he can find some better there. In the end, he believes that he will have a good chance of finding better branches if he moves further than he is allowed to. Knowing that he will upset his mother by doing this but confident in his belief Boromir moves further away from the camp.

After a search of around ten minutes, Boromir has managed to find enough branches to allow his mother to build a fire. He now decides to return to the camp and thus turns around. When he is walking around for a few minutes he looks around himself to see where he is. Boromir knows that he should be coming up on the camp soon and thus should be hearing sounds from the camp. He has walked back in the same direction for the same time as when he moved away from the camp. That he now doesn't hear anything confuses him immensely. He instantly starts to move in different directions to see if he hears anything in those directions.

A few minutes pass during which Boromir becomes terrified for in no direction he can hear anything. Also, there are no answers to his calls which contribute to his increasing hear. He starts to get the impression that he has gotten lost and is terrified that he won't see his parents or little brother again. Because of his fright, Boromir continues to runs around which becomes aimlessness running and doesn't pay attention to where he steps. Suddenly his ankle twists and he cries out loudly from the pain he feels in his ankle. Boromir grabs his ankle and after a few minutes, the pain lessens a bit. Then Boromir tries to stand but that hurts a lot and causes tears to roll down his eyes. He falls back down on the ground and sobs. How he is to get back to his family he doesn't know. This thought frightens him and causes more tears to roll down his cheeks.

Suddenly he hears thudding on the ground which he recognizes as the sound of galloping horses coming to a stop. This causes him to look around fearfully. He tries to see if there is a bush behind which he can hide and to which he can crawl. Just as he finds one and manages to crawl behind it he hears the footsteps of a group of people. He shrinks into himself in an attempt to hide better. He doesn't want to be found and tells himself that he should have listened to his mother. 

* * *

Meanwhile, at the camp, Finduilas is looking around to see where her son is. He should have been back already. That he isn't, causes her to fear that something has befallen him or that there is someone around who means them harm. She is so lost in her thoughts and worries that she fails to hear the sound of an approaching horse and the sound of the rider dismounting.

"Fin, where is Boromir?" Denethor asks with worry audible in his voice. At the same time, he touches her elbow. Finduilas turns around swiftly and he can see the panic in her eyes. 

"I don't know. I told him to gather some firewood in the surrounding area and not to stray to far. He hasn't come back yet while I know he should have been here minutes ago." Finduilas says with a slight panic in her voice. She can tell that she is close to a panic attack and feels herself being pulled into Denethor's chest while he strokes her back.

"I shouldn't have asked him to gather the firewood!"

"You couldn't have known that this would happen. We will find him but first, we have to prepare ourselves for some company. I saw a group of riders heading in this direction." Denethor tells his wife. He is worried about his son but is also aware that if they don't take care of themselves then they won't be able to go looking for their son. It hurts to have to leave their son in possible danger but they have to take care of the company first. If they don't then they won't be able to help their son.

During the preparations, Finduilas straps Faramir to her chest while Denethor quickly clears away the camp. They are just done when they hear footsteps approaching. Without looking at each other, Denethor draws his sword as quietly as he can while Finduilas moves to stand as close to the horses as possible. She takes care that she is also as hidden as is possible. Then they hear the footsteps come closer and they know that whoever is approaching them is nearly on them. Looking at each other, they can tell that they know exactly what they need to do.


	3. Chapter 3

On a sunny morning, Faramir and a group of his guards set out to patrol the area around Emyn Arnen while they will also be checking on the rangers that are stationed in the area. He wants to know how the situation is for there were incidents with brigands in the last few months. This has made using the Harad road dangerous and upset merchants. They had to divert to a different road or spend coins on guards. Something which they don't like doing. Knowing how the situation is now will tell him if the Harad road is safe for travel once more for merchants or travelers to travel from the south when they make their way to Ithilien or further north. Just as they are about to leave, Faramir sees Éowyn walking up to them.

"Faramir, do you have any idea when you will be home?" Éowyn asks her husband. She needs to know this because it will tell her how much food she has to prepare for dinner and supper. She has her doubts that they will be back in time for dinner but hopes that he will be home for supper. That will allow him to get the rest he needs. In a few days’ time, they will ride for Minas Tirith because the king has called a council and wants to discuss some matters with her husband before the council starts. She knows that Faramir will spend the time he has at home on his duties and won't be taking appropriate rest. A habit for which she has scolded him before and which she does her utmost best to break him from. She knows how bad it can be when one does not rest as one should and how stubborn her husband can be. This combination is a bad one.

"If everything goes well I hope to be home a few hours before supper. We won't be going far. We will only check in with the rangers that are stationed in the area and patrol the area we will be crossing." Faramir tells his wife. He knows she wants for him to rest sufficiently but also knows that he needs to finish his work before he can retire. If he doesn't that he will have to do more the next day. Still, he appreciates it that she always reminds him to rest when he is still working late at night. That prevents him from sleeping on his desk and having stiff muscles the next day. He smiles affectively at Éowyn before hugging her. When he pulls back he kisses her on the cheek. Then Faramir mounts his horse and soon the group is on their way to the first ranger patrol.

Twenty minutes later they meet up with the first ranger patrol they are to meet today. There Faramir learns that nothing of importance has happened in the last two days. Two days ago they captured a group of brigands who are already on their way to Emyn Arnen for him to sentence. Since capturing that group the Rangers haven't found any sign of any more brigands. This makes them believe that they have caught the last group still around and the other groups have left their patrol area. They feel confident that their patrol area is now safe for travel. A sentiment Faramir shares with them.

As they meet with the other ranger patrols they learn that they also haven't seen any signs of brigands in the last few days. Faramir is relieved by this news as it will make his upcoming trip to Minas Tirith less stressful. Not that he will not take the number of guards with him as he planned to do before learning this information. It also means that he is willing to take his children with him. Something which they will appreciate greatly. Of that Faramir is certain because his oldest children have been begging him to be allowed to come along.

Near the middle of the afternoon, they are making their way back to Emy Arnen. It is then that one of the guards spots something on the ground. He raises his hand to signal that they have to stop. The group does so at once for they have learned to trust each other completely.

"Soldier, what is it?" Faramir asks. He wants to know what the soldier saw and worries that there are still some brigands around that have been able to elute the patrols.

"My prince, there are hoofprints on the ground here. They appear out of thin air. I can't tell from which direction they came. It is strange for there has been no rain in the area or anything else that could have covered the tracks." the guard answers.

"That is strange indeed." Faramir says after having taken a look at the track on the ground. Then he looks around the group to see who he will send to follow the trail and see who created it. Once he has made his decision he says.

"Doronor, Labenir. You two go ahead and follow the trail. Should you find any sign of danger you get out of there and come to find us. When you have found those who created the trial then you will do the same. We will be following the trial at a slow pace after having taken a short break." Faramir tells the two who quickly dismount and give the reins to other guards. Afterward, they quietly move along the trail to see where the trail leads to. Meanwhile, the remainder of the guard dismount and stays where they are. There they care for the horses and eat and rest for a while. This replenishes their strength and they know that they will be able to last till late.

* * *

 Ten minutes later, Faramir gives the sign that they will move on. Everyone is quick to clean up the camp and mount their horse again. They follow the trail slowly so as to not miss anything. After some time they enter one of the small forests and when they are but a few meters in they can hear the sound of sobbing in the distance. Faramir recognizes it as the sound of a child and worries what a child is doing out in the wild that would cause sobbing.

"What is a child doing here?" Beregond says for he knows as well as everyone else that the sobbing is coming from a child. He wonders who is so irresponsible to leave or lose a child here.

"I do not know, my friend. I do not know" Faramir says. He wants to push his horse into a gallop so as to reach the child sooner and when he looks at his guards he sees they also have the same intent as he does. Thus he pushes his horse into a full gallop. When they are nearly at the location they know the child is in, the group slows their horses down. They don't want to frighten the child into running from them. That would be a bad thing to happen.

Dismounting Faramir says "I will go to the child. You will all wait here until I come back."

"No, my prince. You won't go on your own. Two guards will go with you." Beregond says as he mentions for two guards to dismount which they quickly do. These guards move towards their lord but stop when their lord speaks up.

"Captain, that won't be necessary. I'm sure that the child poses no threat to me. You two don't need to accompany me." Faramir tells the two guards. He doesn't like it for the guards to follow him. That could frighten the child and cause him or her to run away from him. He doesn't want to have to chase the child which he, in that case, would have to do. He sees the guards faltering, unsure of what they should do now.

"That is not up to discussion, my prince. They will go with you or we will all go." Beregond insists. He looks at his lord sternly. He can tell that his lord isn't happy with it but Beregond isn't willing to risk his safety. As a member of the white company, it is their duty to protect him even in situations where their lord is in danger and even when he doesn't want their protection. As the captain, it is his duty to make the decisions concerning his lord's safety. He can hear his lord sighing and that tells him that he has won for which he is incredibly happy. Still, he won't show his happiness on his face.

"Alright, they can come with me. You two will stay at a distance when we are close to the child. It is of no use to frighten the child unnecessary and case him or her to run from us." Faramir tells the two guards who agree with their lord's decision. Once this is done the group of three moves further into the small forest. Soon they approach a small clearing and the two guards keep their distance. They allow their lord walk on alone. Still, they make sure to keep him into their eyesight. That way they will be able to reach him quickly should he become endangered. They don't want to fail in their duty to protect their lord and have to meet the fury of their lady.

Faramir calmly walks into the clearing and is disappointed to not be able to locate the child. When he looks at the ground he can see signs of a small person having crawled to a hiding place. Faramir has to smile as this clearly shows that the child is afraid and trying to hide which is a completely normal reaction of a frightened child. He follows the trail on the ground and quickly come to the conclusion that the child hid behind a bush. Faramir silently walks up to the bush he knows the child is hiding behind.

Once Faramir stands before the bush he can see that a young child has shrunk in on himself behind the bush. From what Faramir can see he determines that the child is around the same age as Elboron is. He knows that he has to act quickly before the child notices him and tries to flee. He quickly lifts the child up from behind the bush intending to put him on the ground before him. But as he does so he feels the child stiffening and sees him closing his eyes tightly. Faramir also sees the child clamping his hand over his mouth in an attempt to hide the scream Faramir can still hear coming from him. He feels bad for causing the child to fear him so much but knows that he needs to get the child to safety and this is the fastest way he can do so. He quickly places the child on the ground to still the fear and hears the child's breath hitching. This makes him frown because he wonders if the child is hurt. It would explain why the child crawled when it would have been easier for him to simply run.

Based on this Faramir decides to carefully look the child over to see if he can find any injury. He can see that the child is wearing fine clothing and boots. Also, the child doesn't seem to be thin which tells him that the child has ample to eat. All this combined gives him the impression that the child comes from a wealthy family. It makes the situation all the more confusing for it is highly unlikely that a wealthy family would abandon their child. Especially at the child's current age. Normally it only happens with newborns and in rare cases with older children from the poor families. When it happens the child is removed from the parents' care and placed in an orphanage or the family is offered the aide they need to care for the child. Faramir knows from experience that it on,y happens when the family doesn't see another way out or if shame is involved. In the end, Faramir is unable to detect any injury because the clothes hide any sign of possible injuries. Looking the child in the eye, Faramir notices that the child is acting nervous.

"I'm sorry, little one. I didn't mean to cause you unease. Forgive me." Faramir tells the child honestly. He makes sure that his emotions are visible because he knows how much children dislike not being able to tell the emotions of adults.

"Of course, lord. I forgive you. I didn't know you were coming. I thought bad men would be coming." Boromir tells Faramir. Boromir is relieved that he has been found by a Gondorian lord and not by a bad man. He knows that this a Gondorian based on his appearance. That this Gondorian is a lord, Boromir bases on the regal feel this man gives off as well as the clothing he wears. It makes him feel safe and makes him hope that the lord will be able to help him get back to his parents and little brother. He misses them.

Faramir has to smile at the child's reaction. He is glad that the child knew that this area is not entirely safe. Well, as safe as he and his lord are able to make it. People still need to be careful when traveling and their farms need to be located closely together. Lone farms are highly vulnerable as it takes a long time before help can reach them should they become in danger. Still, there hasn't been any real danger around for the past few days according to his rangers. But that knowledge would not be available for the child and his family. Which explains why the child feared that bad men were approaching and Faramir is glad that he managed to take this fear from the child before him.

"Well, little one. I'm glad that I found you because it is not good for you to be here all by yourself." Faramir says and can see the confusion built on the child's face. This, in turn, confuses Faramir for he doesn't know what confuses the child.

"But, lord, I'm not alone. I'm here with my family but got lost when I went too far from the camp in search of firewood." Boromir says defensively. He does understand why the lord thought him to be alone. Alright, he was alone in this area but isn't traveling alone. And that is what he wants the lord to understand.

"You shouldn't have done that, little one. And I'm sure you know that now." Faramir says because this situation will ensure that the child won't do this again. He waits for the child to nod before saying.

"Little one, I would like for you to tell me where you are hurt. I saw you wince when I put you on the floor before me so I know that you are hurting somewhere."

"My ankle hurts, my lord. I was running around trying to find my parents and fell when I stepped into a hole or something. My ankle then started to hurt." Boromir tells the lord before him. Now that they are talking about his hurting ankle he remembers the pain. Before he didn't feel any pain anymore. Still, he is glad that the lord is interested in his ankle because then he might be able to help him make it go away.

"Then we will go back to my men so that we can take a look at your ankle and treat it. I don't want to take your booth off now as I don't have anything with me to treat your ankle with." Faramir says and gently lifts the child into his arms. As he walks back they are joined by the two guards who stayed back. Together the three me and one child walk back to the remainder or the group. During the walk, Faramir and Boromir talk about why he and his family were traveling through Ithilien. It is then that Faramir asks.

"Little one, would you be willing to tell me your name as well as the names of your family? I might know them if you tell me their names."

"My name is Boromir. My ada's name is Denethor and nana's name is Finduilas. I have a little brother whose name is Faramir. What is your name, my lord?" Boromir asks curiously. He doesn't know the name of the lord who is holding him. It would be polite for the lord to tell him his name also. He really hopes the lord will do so so that he knows who he is with.

"That is funny, little one. My name is also Faramir just like your little brother." Faramir tells Boromir. The names the child gave him surprise him because that combination of names has only ever been heard of by his own family. It makes him wonder if he is carrying his brother. It is such a strange thought that he instantly dismisses if. It can't be true, can it?

Just then they come upon the remainder of the group. Faramir sees that Beregond is quick to approach them once he sees that his lord is returning. From the look on Beregond's face Faramir determines that he is relieved that his lord found the child. He knows that having found the child will take most of the stress from the men. Faramir smiles calmly at Beregond to tell him that everything is fine. He is even more pleased to see that the men are going back to what they were doing before they heard footsteps of them approaching the camp. It shows that the men were moving into a position to protect their temporary camp site.

"My prince, I am glad that you are back with us again. And I see that you found the child we all heard. What will we be doing now? Shall we continue or do we wait for a few more minutes to make sure you and your escort have also gotten some rest?" Beregond asks.

"We shall wait here for a few minutes so that Boromir's ankle can be treated. He told me that it hurts and I saw him wince when he put pressure on it. I want it treated before we break up the camp and go see where Doronor and Labenir are." Faramir says and can see one of the men coming to him. He recognizes him as Nestorion. Nestorion has the most knowledge about healing from all the guards present. Faramir also gives Beregond a hard look when he wants to address the name by which he called the child. He hopes that Doronor and Labenir will have returned before they break the camp. He wants to begin looking for Boromir's family as soon as is possible to do. Thus he wants to avoid having to look for the scouts if it can be avoided.

"Boromir, this is Nestorion. He will take a look at your ankle and treat it to the best of his abilities." Faramir says once Nestorion has reached them. He puts Boromir on a tree trunk and mentions for Beregond to follow him. They talk about everything a short distance away so as that they are not overheard by Boromir. He doesn't want to upset him if he is able to avoid it.

When Faramir and Beregond are done with their discussion they walk back to Nestorion and Boromir intending to inquire about the state of Boromir's injury. Just then they hear the sound of horses approaching. Faramir quickly turns to the direction the sound comes from and can see that the guards are all moving into position to defend the camp if need be. Looking at Nestorion Faramir sees that he has positioned himself in front of Boromir in a defensive position. He is relieved to know that Boromir will be protected should they be attacked. Faramir decides that he will join the defense and is quick to take up a position.

Shortly before the horses and their riders are in sight Faramir can hear them slow down. Then he hears a whistle which tells him and everyone else that it is safe. Thus they let the riders approach and the guards move back to breaking up the camp. Faramir decides to stay behind and greet the riders. Once they come into sight he recognizes them as Doronor and Labenir. This relieves him immensely, for now, they can start looking for Boromir's family once they are ready to leave. He allows them to approach the camp before addresses them.

"What have you learned from the tracks? Do you know who made them and what their intended destination is?" Faramir asks the men as they dismount.

"We followed the track to a camp. At the camp, we could see a mother and an infant preparing to spend the night. Where her husband is I don't know for we didn't see anyone else in the camp. Still, we believe the husband must be around somewhere for no man would leave their wife and infant here on their own. We also found tracks leading away from the camp into the mountain. This could mean that the husband has moved into the mountain to see where they are and what direction they need to travel in to find civilization. We don't know what destination they have in mind but believe that they will be looking for civilization" Doronor tells his lord.

"Hmm. That is interesting to hear." Faramir says and looks at Boromir who is looking around the camp. The way Boromir is looking Faramir has the impression that he is used to seeing guards breaking up a camp. When Boromir seems him looking questionable at him and smiles reassuringly. Faramir considers the information he has and then makes up his mind.

"We will take a look at the camp and then guide the family to Emyn Arnen. It will be the closest city in the area. Together we will be able to protect them better than were they to be traveling alone. Hopefully, they are also the parents of Boromir so that we can soon reunite him with his family. Boromir is the child we discovered when we came through this wood. Once the camp is cleaned up you will guide us to the campsite you two discovered." Faramir says and Doronor and Labenir agree to do as their lord wants them to do. They turn away from everyone to discuss the easiest path to the camp they found.  The way they came will be a difficult journey to make from here to the discovered camp. After a few minutes of discussion, they manage to determine the easiest path to the camp.

* * *

 Five minutes later the group is guided by the two scouts to the camp the scouts discovered. They ride at a good pace and expect to reach the campsite soon for the scouts take them by a direct path. Ten minutes later the scouts give the sign to slow down for they know that they have almost reached the camp. Once the horses have slowed down everyone dismounts and quietly follows the scouts until Faramir mentions for everyone to quiet down. He does this because he heard the sound of people taking even though what he hears is faint. In fact, he was barely able to detect it. Once everyone is silent they can hear distressed whispering sounds if they listen attentively that is. The sounds are still faint and to the point of nearly inaudible. Faramir is able to hear that the name Boromir is being mentioned you the people in the camp. This eases his heart for he knows believes that they have found Boromir's parents. The only thing left to do is approach them and determine if his belief is correct. Then they will only need to guide everyone to Emyn Arnen. Hopefully, the family will agree to it without making much of a fuss.

"Beregond, you will wait here with the men. I will go meet the family together with Boromir for I believe that they are his lost family. No one will come along as I don't want to scare the family if it can be avoided. Am I understood?" Faramir says this with a stern look. By doing this he tells everyone that he means what he just said. Also by doing this, he tries to avoid having a discussion about taking guards with him with Beregond. That doesn't mean that he doesn't expect Beregond to tell him that he disagrees with him. In fact, he expects it and is soon rewarded with the captain's protest.

"My prince, that is folly. Going alone means you won't be protected. As we don't know who these people are we don't know what to expect from them. We all took an oath to protect you with our lives. We can't allow it, my prince. Not without risking our honor." Beregond says and hopes that his prince sees reason. He doesn't like what his prince is proposing and wants to do everything he can to avoid having it happen. He does know that there are times when their prince will do as he pleases. Luckily these times are few and he hopes that this time isn't one of them.

"I gave you an order, captain!" Faramir says irritable and takes a deep breath. He knows that he will have to come with a compromise. Beregond will not allow him to leave otherwise. That is why he tells Beregond.

"To ease your mind I give you my word that I will be careful. I will look at the camp before approaching it. If I don't like what I can see then I will come back and take a few guards with me before approaching the family."

"Thank you, my prince. That indeed eases my mind. But that does not mean that no guards will accompany you. They will follow you but stay out of sight." Beregond says in a tone that brokers no argument. The guards will come along or his prince will not go at all. When Beregond looks at his prince he can see the anger in his prince's eyes and also the strain it costs his prince to keep his anger in control. Beregond knows that it is rare for his prince to get this angry and wonders what is behind it.

"If you let me leave then. I do not see how else I can greet this family." Faramir says in a stressed voice while dismounting. If his parents are here then he doesn't want anyone else to learn about it until he has had a chance to talk to his lord. He wants his king's council in how to deal with such a situation. Even if he does not consider it a real possibility he does not want to take any chances. Hence why he doesn't want to have guards along with him and Boromir. But considering the words of Beregond it will not be possible for him to approach the family without having guards around.

"Come, Boromir. Shall we go see if we have found your parents?" Faramir asks while lifting Boromir from his horse. He does this to break the heavy atmosphere that has developed between him and his guards. It will make everyone feel at ease once more.

"Yes, I would like that. I hope this is my family’s camp." Boromir says and looks at the surroundings. It is then that he says.

"Faramir! I mean my lord, I do recognize some of the environment."

"That is good to hear." Faramir says and then they leave the group while two guards follow them at a distance. After a few minutes, they come upon the campsite and Faramir is surprised by what he can see. There is barely any trace left of the camp. It appears as if the camp has been hurriedly cleared. For the most part, it does not look like a camp except for the two horses he can see. He can see one person standing by the horses and based on the clothing he can see he determines it is a woman who is standing there.

"My lady, could you please come forward? I do not mean you any harm" Faramir tells the woman. At the same time, he can hear a distinctive soft sound. He instantly recognizes it as the sound of a sword being unsheathed from a leather scabbard. Faramir quickly pushes Boromir behind him and turns to the direction from where he heard the sound coming from. At the same time, he draws his own sword in an attempt to protect himself and Boromir from the attacker. He knows from experience that his guards will be hurrying towards them to protect him. He barely manages to block the swing coming for his chest. It is then that he manages to take a good look at the attacker's face. The face he sees is one he can recognize anywhere and at any time. The face he sees is that of his father and appears younger than he is familiar with. Seeing it results in horror washing over him. That which he did not think possible appears to have happened.


	4. Chapter 4

Faramir is looking at his father's face unable to say anything because of the shock he is feeling. Then he sees his father disengaging and taking another swing at him. But instead of aiming for his chest once more he goes for Faramir's throat this time. Faramir quickly steps aside so that he will not be hit. Then he hits his father with the broadside of his sword on his leg to stop him from attacking him. At this he sees his father stumbling a bit and falling to the ground. At this time, Faramir lets go of Boromir's hand. He has been pushing Boromir around with him to keep him safe during the short battle.

When Denethor sees this, he is relieved that his son is free from his capturer. He has been trying to get his son free since the moment he saw them coming. As such he is quick to calls out to Boromir.

"Ion nin, go! Run to the horses and get out of here! Do not worry about me, I will follow as soon as I can. Take care of your mother and brother for me. Go!"

When he is done talking he sees that his son is looking around surprised. He looks at him and the man who has been holding him. This confuses Denethor for he does not understand why he would look at this stranger. It does not take Boromir long for him to intend to speak up but then shakes his head violently. Denethor does not understand why his son does that until he feels two pairs of hands grabbing him. These people are trying to restrain him. This happens at the same time as he tries to stand up again after having received the hit on his knee. He is still surprised by this as it is a move to immobilize an opponent. He would have expected the stranger to give him a killing stroke.

Denethor struggles to get free because he wants and needs to protect his family from these people. He is not sure where the remainder of the company is. There were more of than three people when he saw them riding towards his camp. This worries him because it means that the remnant could be grabbing Finduilas and young Faramir. He isn't sure what they will do to them as he doesn't know where their allegiance lies. The one he could see looks like a Gondorian but that does not say anything. There are Corsairs who look like Gondorians so the appearance does not say anything about them. If they are Corsairs then Finduilas and Faramir are in danger while Boromir has already been captured by them. He learned from reports that Corsairs kill young children who they cannot use as slaves. Boromir would be usable as a slave just as his wife and he while Faramir would be seen as a liability. If they decide to not kill young children then they are typically used to ensure the obedience of the remainder of the family.

The thought of potentially losing his youngest son and the prospect of his wife and him of becoming slaves makes him intensify his struggling. He stops once he is violently pushed to the ground and a knee is pushed in his back. This move he recognizes as one used by Gondorian guards to restrain potential threats. He is not aware that the Corsairs know and use this technique. As he knows this technique he is aware that it is of no use to him to continue to struggle. He has no chance of getting free when restrained like this.

Faramir sees the struggling between his father and his guards. As such he aims to hide it from Boromir. He doesn't want to scare the boy. Seeing this might actually do just that. As such he looks to see if the woman he saw earlier is still with the horses. If she is, then he can send Boromir to her. Faramir is aware of the fact that she is most likely his mother, Finduilas. He is pleased to be able to meet her and get to know her a bit. He barely remembers her but also knows that he can't tell her who he is.

The woman he can see is shaking on her legs. If she is clinging to one of the horses or holding on to baby him, Faramir can't tell. He cannot see above her legs. Thus he wonders how scared she will be and decides that he should not wait with sending Boromir to her.

"Boromir, I believe your mother stands there with the horses. Go to her and have her join us here." Faramir says and he gets an enthusiastic nod as an answer before Boromir hurries to his mother's side. He watches him go with a smile. It is always good to see the lively that young children possess. It can lift ones spirit immensely.

It is then that he turns back to see how the fight between his father and his guards is progressing. He can see that they see that they are still fighting but it appears as if his guards are getting the upper hand. He hopes that they will not harm his father any more than is absolutely necessary. It is then that he looks his father in his eyes. There he can see fear appearing in his father's eyes. He has some ideas about what his father is scared about. He knows that his father is not aware that they are not in their own time anymore and that Corsairs and Haradrim do not attack people here. If they had then his men should have found signs of them. In fact, he is not sure that his father does not deem them to be Corsairs and does not know that he is in the presence of the prince of Ithilien right now. His father, he believes, thinks that his family is in danger. He does not know that he wants to help them. So long as this father and his guards are fighting he is aware that he is unable to reassure his father that he means no them harm.

This also has him thinking about his father's reaction to his approach of the camp. It was a normal reaction his father showed but if Faramir is being honest with himself then he is happy he had the guards with him. He does not want to think about what the outcome could have been. It is then that he notices that his guards have his father restrained. Faramir waits for his guards to address him for which he does not have to wait long.

"My prince, what do you want us to do with this man? Do you want us to bind?" One of his guards asks after they have pulled his father upright into a kneeling position while they are holding his arms restrained behind his back.

"I want you to release him if I get his word that he will not attack us again for I would prefer to speak with him." Faramir says and smiles kindly at his father. He wants to put his father at ease because the look in his eye tells him enough. It is one of pure rage. He does not want to speak with his father while he is in such a mood. That would not be beneficial for their coming conversation.

"My prince, are you sure that is a wise thing to do?" One of the guards asks nervously. He does not like for this man to be free around his prince after he attacked his prince once already. He could do so again were he to be free.

"I am sure he won't attack me again, am I right?" Faramir asks his father.

"You are right. I will not attack you again, prince." Denethor says quickly because he wants to avoid being tied up. He immediately hears one of the guards starting to protest. The guards stop when the prince raises his hand to tell him that he does not want to hear of it. Afterward, he is released and he stands up. It is then that he mentions for Finduilas to come closer with Boromir. She has been waiting a bit back for some time now to determine what she should do. He knows that she would not willingly do as the prince asked until she is sure that her family will be safe. Now that he is free and mentions for her to come, she joins them together with Boromir.

He mentions for his family to join them for he wants them close and because it will not do to upset this prince when he is being gracious to them. The prince's behavior is strange in Denethor's opinion compared to the behavior of Corsairs he is familiar with. This makes him doubt his earlier assessment of the group's origin or at least reconsider his arguments. Something which he rarely experiences and thus he is not really sure how to handle it.

Not long afterward Finduilas stands next to him while holding Boromir's hand and holding a hand against Faramir's back. Faramir is sniffing a bit because of all the recent excitement. This makes Denethor smile because it shows how different his two sons are. Where Faramir sniffs Boromir would have cried loudly. Faramir is a quiet baby that makes it difficult for him to care for him. He knows how to care for a livelier baby as they tell him when they need something. A quiet baby he is not sure what he needs because such babies do not tell him. To calm Faramir completely down he places his hand over his head. Faramir quickly calms down when he feels the hands of born his parents on him. It is then that he turns back to the prince and sees him looking adoringly at them.

"Prince, what is it that you want to talk about?" Denethor asks with a blank face. He wonders what the prince wants to talk about. Also, he would like to know how he came to his title. As far as he knows only his wife's family can use the title of prince in the firstborn line. This prince is not of that line as he knows them intimately. Thus he wonders how he can be a prince, but so as to not make any offend.

"I would like to know why you and your wife are here in the wild with two young children and why you left your family alone." Faramir asks. These are the most important questions he needs to have answered before offering to escort them to his city. The others can wait for now and he will have them answered later when they are in his city.

"My wife wanted to ride with our sons for some time outside the city. When we were riding mist suddenly appeared and we got separated from our escort. After the mist disappeared we discovered that we were no longer in the area we were in previously. We rode on for some time until we found a place to camp for the night. My wife and children would stay and prepare the camp while I would go into the mountain. From there I wanted to determine where the closest city or village is located and what the fastest path to it would be." Denethor explains calmly. He keeps the part of his return to the camp and their subsequent meeting out of his explanation because he is sure the prince understands how that played out. For the remainder of their story, he wants to be sure that the prince understands their situation. He can tell that he wants to help them. At the same time, he takes a close look at the prince's appeared to see if he is able to learn more about him. He is able to determine that the prince appears to have a strong Númenorian heritage. This tells him that he must be a Gondorian noble because only there such a strong heritage would be visible. This confuses him because there are no Gondorian nobles who travel through Ithilien as far as he knows. In the fighting before he was not able to have a good look at him thus, he notices it only now.

"Thus you intended to travel to a nearby city or village in the morning and from there on you intended to find your way home." Faramir concludes. He did notice that his father has been carefully studying his features and wonders what it is about. Did his father recognize something of himself in him? Or did he recognize his features but is not yet able to place them? He hopes it is not the first because he is not comfortable explaining it to his father just yet. He first wants to talk with his lord about it to see if he has any idea of how this could have happened. Besides, he does not think that he can actually explain the current situation as is.

"Yes, prince. That is exactly what I intended to do before you came to our camp. We wanted to travel to a nearby village or city in the morning. I saw that Osgiliath is the closest city in the area when I was on the mountain and intend to travel to it as soon as possible." Denethor says. He is confused by the confused look that appears on the prince's face. Not that it is easy for him to see as the prince is talented in keeping his emotions hidden. He wonders why traveling to Osgiliath would confuse him? For as far as he knows Osgiliath is the closest city because no one lives in Ithilien. The only Gondorians present in Ithilien should be the rangers.

"Would it not be considered wise to travel to Emyn Arnen, sir? I know that the city is closer to our location than Osgiliath is. I will escort you to the city and find you lodging within my home. That is if you are willing to accept my offer." Faramir says. He calls his father sir because he is dead in this time and to avoid confusion for his guards. They would be confused should he call an unknown person a lord. All his guards know who belongs to the nobility and who not.

Faramir hopes that his father is willing to accept his offer. Also, he hopes that his confusion about his father's words has not shown on his face. He does not want to confuse his father. With his guards, he does not feel the same need to hide his feelings than he does with his father and other nobles. He has learned in the past that it can be troublesome if the men are unable to tell what he or another officer is thinking. That does not mean that he always shows them his emotions. Sometimes it is better to hide emotions to keep the spirits of the men up. Such as was the case during the ring war.

"Emyn Arnen is an abandoned city. It was abandoned when Ithilien was deserted." Denethor says irritated. He knows that this is a fact because he has read about it in the past in the archive. That this prince offers to escort them there makes no sense to him. Does the prince think that he is daft? No, he will not let this prince play with him and endanger his family. The only way to safety is to reach Osgiliath. Not to an abandoned city.

"Prince, might I ask what the current year is?" Finduilas asks. She can tell that her husband is getting upset. If she does not intervene then he will surely become mad. That is something which they cannot use as they are depended on the goodwill of the prince. If Denethor gets angry now at the price they might just lose it and be bound and dragged to where the prince wants to go. By ensuring the goodwill they avoid this and by asking this question she intends to find out if they might possibly be in another time. Not that she deems it a remote possibility but it would be one of the only reasons for their difference in opinion about Emyn Arnen. The other is that the prince is deceiving them. She does not her the impression that the prince is deceiving them even though she does not share her husband's ability to read people's heart.

"Why do you ask this, lady? It is year eight of the Fourth age as I am sure you are aware of." Faramir answers confused. Now he is not afraid to show his confusion. Actually, he can see the same on his father's face. He has a feeling what is confusing them because they must have traveled through time to get here. Not that he has any idea how it is possible to do so.

"It cannot be right what you just said, prince. We were in the year 2983 of the Third age when I last checked the year." Finduilas says bewildered. She can see the honesty on the prince's face when he told then the current year. She does not know how to feel about what she just learned. How is it possible that they traveled through time? She grabs Denethor's hand to have some support as well as to give him some support considering the shocking news they received. When she looks at him she can see that he is also shocked. That his shock appears on his face shows how strange their predicament is because he normally never lets his emotions show.

"Shall we go to Emyn Arnen and sort this situation out there. I will give you my word that we will protect you as we travel and that there will not be any danger for you all in the city." Faramir promises and hopes that they will accept because he does not want to delay their departure if he is to be home in time for supper. Éowyn will be furious if he is late and all the work for their supper will be done for nothing. Something he wishes to avoid at all cost. The last time it happened she berated him intensively and forced him to sleep alone for a few nights. That were the worst nights of his married life. He always enjoys having her in the same bed as himself.

This offer makes Denethor consider their options and if he is honest with himself than the only real option they have is to take the prince up on his offer. The other option is for them to travel further on their own. Something which he dislikes intensively to even think about. Also, he recognizes that traveling with the prince and his company will offer better protection than he can provide for himself. That the prince gave them his word actually makes it easier for him to consider accepting the offer. He turns to look at Finduilas to see if he can determine what she thinks. He can tell that she knows what he has been thinking about. When she notices that he is looking at her she says.

"I trust you to make the right decision, Denethor."


	5. Chapter 5

"We will accept your offer, your highness." Denethor says calmly. He hopes he will not regret his decision but knows that he has little other choices.

"Thank you for accepting my offer, sir, lady. It greatly eases my heart that you do so. Would you be willing to prepare everything so that we can leave as soon as possible?" Faramir asks because he does not want to be here with them for longer than is absolutely necessary. He wants to get them to the safety of Emyn Arnen as soon as possible. Even though there are no threats in the area for as far as he is aware. Knowing that they accepted his offer he does not believe that they will disagree with his suggestion.

"We are willing to do so, your highness. There is little left for us to do so we will soon be ready to travel to Emyn Arnen. We made sure that the most important belongings were packed away before we met. There are only a few unimportant belongings that we need to pack. Also, we will like to reload everything we already packed so that the load the horses will need to carry is equal." Denethor explains. He wants to ensure that the prince knows what they will be doing and thus has an idea how long it will take before they can leave.

"Of course, sir. Take all the time you need but work as fast as you can. I will look after your son in the meantime." Faramir says with a smile and kind look on his face. He wants to ensure them that their son is well taken care of while they are busy and that they will not worry about him.

"Thank you, your highness. We appreciate it." Finduilas says while placing her hand on Denethor's arm. This way she stops him from protesting because she was that he intended to protest. Even though she doesn't know this prince she is willing to give him a chance. Besides they are close by so they will be able to tell what is the prince is doing with their son. This way she manages to guide him to the horses so that they can get started. The sooner they finish their tasks the sooner they can leave. She wants to reach the city as soon as possible just as the prince does. Finduilas knows that Denethor intends to also check the tack to ensure that there will be no problems with it while traveling.

"Boromir, with whom do you want to ride when we travel to Emyn Arnen?" Faramir asks while his parents have started on the tasks they need to complete before they can leave.

"I would like to ride with my father. That is if you are fine with it." Boromir says because he does not want to upset the prince. He liked him and wants to be friends with him. He does not want the prince to be angry with him.

"That is fine with me, Boromir. If you want to ride with your father then ride with your father. I will be the last person to forbid you to ride with your own father." Faramir says smiling reassuringly at Boromir. At the time he places a hand on Boromir's shoulder. He did notice anxiety in Boromir mannerisms when he talked. That is why he wants to reassure him that everything is fine. Afterward, they talk a bit about their lives until they can leave.

Five minutes later, Denethor and Finduilas have finished with their tasks and are walking their horses to where Faramir and Boromir are waiting for them. Faramir and Boromir notice it quickly. Boromir is happy that his parents are ready and they can go to a city. Just as Denethor and Finduilas reach them, Faramir lifts Boromir up and places him on his father's horse. Then he pulls the hood of Boromir's cloak over his face and turns to his parents.

"I would like to suggest that you also cover your faces with the hood of your cloaks, sir, lady." Faramir says. He can see that his suggestion upsets his father. He waits to see what kind of reaction his father will give him. He does not have to wait too long before he gets the expected reaction.

"Why do we have to do that, your highness? Do you not want the people of Emyn Arnen to know that we are among them? What do you have to hide?" Denethor asks irritated. He does not like the suggestion he has gotten. It implies that the prince wants to hide their presence. He does not see a reason for doing that. Does he expect problems from the peasants if they see them or does he not want others to know that they are in the city? Both do not seem reasonable to him. He does not expect any problems if people see them. What could be the worst that they could do? That would be staring. But that does not explain why they have to hide beneath their cloaks.

"If people are aware of your presence and recognize you there will be questions asked. Questions for which I do have answer readable to offer. That is what I want to avoid. I do not intend to hide your presence. That will be impossible to do bad use the people will see you traveling with us to my house. Again, I implore you to you cover your face. Not to hide your presence but to avoid having difficult questions asked." Faramir says. He hopes that his explanation will satisfy his father. He tried to explain the reason for his request as best as he could. Now it is waiting to see if it is a satisfying explanation.

"That is understandable, your highness. We will follow your request." Finduilas says with a pointed look at Denethor. This looks makes Denethor stop his intended protest. She is pleased with it because she wants to reach the city as soon as possible. Denethor's protesting would only have resulted in a delayed departure and arrival. By stopping him she assures herself of a quick departure.

Finduilas's reaction makes Faramir smile. He finds it nice to see that his mother actually controls his father's behavior when she deems it necessary to do so. He always thought that his father never let anyone control his behavior. It amuses him that he now sees that the opposite is true. It is then that he mentions for them to follow him. He waits until his parents have mounted their horses before guiding everyone back to where the remainder of his guards are waiting for his return. Once there everyone else mounts their horses and soon the whole group is on their way to Emyn Arnen.

The ride is a comfortable one with no problems. They manage to cover a lot of ground even though they have a woman and two children among them. When they are halfway through their journey Faramir mentions for one of his guards to come closer. He has an important task for him.

"My prince, you requested my presence?" The guard asked with a calm face. Whatever task his lord has in mind for him he knows he will learn about soon. For his lord to call someone to him it means that his lord will tell him what he is to do.

"I did, Eadgar. I have an important task for you in mind. What I need you to do is ride ahead and inform my wife about our unexpected visitors. Afterward, you can go home to your family if my wife does not need you for anything else." Faramir explains. He decided to appoint Eadgar to this task because he has a young family at home who need him. They are the reason why he decided to leave Rohan and settle in Gondor. He fell in love with his wife when he was in the houses of healing after the battle of Pelennor fields recovering from his wounds.

"Yes, my prince. I will leave at once." The guard Eadgar answers dutifully. Afterward, he leaves the group and makes haste to the city. He knows that he needs to ride hard to ensure that princess Éowyn will have everything prepared for their unexpected guests. He sincerely doubts that he can leave for home after he has informed the princess. She will want to know everything he knows. For that, he will have to wait until she has seen to all the preparations and has time for them to talk.

After Eadgar leaves silence falls over the group once more. The silence is only broken by the occasional whisper of guards. That time is used by Faramir, Denethor, and Finduilas to think about the current situation and each other. Luckily Boromir is absorbed by the scenery and refrains from asking questions.

Faramir knows that he is accompanying his parents, brother and infant self because he does not sense any deception in them. Everything they told him was the truth. Should they be trying to deceive him then he knows that he would have felt it during their conversation. He is surprised that his parents traveled through time because he is not sure how it is possible to do so. It confuses him every time he thinks about it. He hopes that his lord has some ideas about it so that they can solve the situation. He knows that his parents, brother and younger self-need to return to their own time to avoid having the timeline disrupted. That is the worst that can possibly happen in his opinion. Still, he is glad to see his parents interacting with each other so affectionately. It allows him to see and they interacted with each other when they were younger. Considering his father's love for his mother Faramir is not surprised by how much his father has changed in behavior after his mother's death. He has missed her immensely and tried to cover it up by acting the way he did. That he only now draws these conclusions is because he barely remembers the early years of his life. He remembers everything clearly from his eight-year on. The remainder of the time traveling he spends on considering how he will explain everything to his wife. She will be questioning him extensively about his visiting family.

Meanwhile, Denethor considers their current situation. He is not sure what he should think about the possibility of them having traveled through time. On one part he finds it unbelievable as he believes it is possible to do so. On the other, he also knows that it would be the only explanation for their current situation. The time they are now in is in the future considering the year and age prince gave them. That could be true because the prince told them the truth. What he considers to true anyway. This still opens up the possibility that ether did not travel through time. But what is true time will have to tell. He knows that he will keep his family close until he knows what their current situation really is.

This also has him considering the prince's behavior. On one part the prince is open with the information he supplies them with. On the other, he is secretive with his answers and the real reason of his request. That he is so secretive but also open gives him the impression that the prince knows them intimately. Which is confusing because Denethor would have thought that the prince would have told them such a thing. He does not understand why the prince does not say anything about it. Does he want to keep his cards close to his chest? Or does he have other reasons for not telling them that he knows them? What has he to hide from them? He hopes to learn that soon because he does not like to have to wait long before getting answers. If he needs to wait long he will surely be starting to look for answers before long.

The thing he is sure of is that the prince wants to hide their presence. The reason he got for this is to about having difficult questions asked. Something which he is sure will come back to bite the prince later. Possibly with more difficult questions asked or with problems. The people will want to know then why he decided to hide the presence of people. Also, he will have to swear his servants into silence if he intends to hide their presence. From what he knows about the prince such behavior does not at up. He does not appear to him like a secretive lord but more to an open one. Y acting like this he will most likely face problems later in. Strangely enough, he wants to protect the prince from that which might arise. That confuses him even more.

Meanwhile, Finduilas considers why the prince appears so familiar to her. She did notice that he is a blend of her husband, her father in law and her own family. His face looks a lot like her husband while his build is more like her own family. She can tell this because she is intimately familiar with Denethor's face. Others would not be able to see the familiarity. Also, she can tell that he has the same gifts as her husband's but more about his character she cannot tell. Her interactions with the prince were too limited to learn his character. What she can tell is that he is not as cold as her husband tends to be sometime.

It also has her thinking of how he could have gained his title and lands. A prince falls under the authority of the king and not the steward. As such a steward cannot make someone a prince. Only the king can and there has not been a king in a long time. She does not know how he can be a prince when there is no king. As for his land, there are but few lands which can be given to a lord. Ithilien being one such a land. Such lands are typically given to descendants of the original lord. For Ithilien, it would mean that it would be given to a descendant of one of the original lords. Her husband is one of such a descendant. But which land he is given she does not know because she is unfamiliar with his heritage. Considering everything she knows about the prince she considers the possibility of him being kin to her husband. That would mean that he could have been given Ithilien. Until she learns his name she cannot be sure whose kin he is.

It is then that she notices the guards becoming excited. Have they nearly reached Emyn Arnen? She hopes they have because she is starting to feel a bit sore. As she looks up she sees that the sun is setting. On the horizon, she can see what she believes to be Emyn Arnen appearing. Looking carefully at the city she can see the banner that is being flown over the city. The banner shocks her for she recognized it instantaneously. It is the banner of the stewards.

"Welcome to Emyn Arnen, sir, lady." The prince says as he stops the party shortly before again moving towards the city.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note:
> 
> I have changed the way in which Denethor addresses Faramir as I made a discovery concerning the way nobility is addressed. In particular how a prince would be addressed.


	6. Chapter 6

Approaching Emyn Arnen Faramir is relieved to arrive home safely. For himself and his guards as well as for his guests. He is glad that there are no dangers in Ithilien that his rangers know of. That way he is sure that his people will also be safe. Or as safe as possible for he knows that it is impossible to protect his people from all dangers. Some dangers can only be found after they have happened nor is he able to be everywhere at all times. For that, he has the village elders. They will inform him about dangers and other matters that he needs to be aware of. Thus he is confident that he will learn about such matters as soon as he is able to. When he looks at his parents and Boromir he can see that they are looking attentively at the city. It gives him the impression that they want to learn what they can about his city before they reach his home. Thus they are studying what they can see from the city.

Meanwhile, Denethor and Finduilas are impressed by what he sees from Emyn Arnen. The city and the buildings look beautiful from what they can see. Considering the appearance of the buildings Denethor considers which kind of neighborhood it can be that they are traveling through. A noble neighborhood would be more decorated than what he can see so this falls off the list. That leaves the possibility of a merchant or trade neighborhood. Both are equally possible so he is unable to determine what kind of neighborhood it is.

He recognizes the building style of the building as a popular Gondorian style with some unknown aspects. The styles he recognizes because there are many buildings he has seen in the last year which are being built in these styles. The unknown aspect he knows are not of Gondorian origin. Still, he recognizes these aspects and wonders where he recognizes them from. This has him carefully considering where he could have seen them. As he is rarely able to leave Gondor and then only travels to a few foreign places there are but a few places he is able to recognize them from. Thinking about the buildings in those places he is able to determine that the aspects are of Rohirrim origin. He remembers seeing such aspect on Rohirrim buildings during his visits to Rohan. The few visits he made that is.

"Nana, ada, look at the people. They have come to great us." Boromir says excitedly and points in front of him.

Denethor instantly looks in the direction his son points. He wants to know what has gotten Boromir more excited than he was before. In the direction, his son pointed he can see a woman waiting for them with an infant on her arms. Next to her stands a young girl who also holds a young child in her arms. Around them, he can see three young boys standing. He is unable to tell their age as he is still too far away from them to be able to tell. Still, he suspects that this is the prince's family considering the building behind them. It is the kind of home the lord of the city would live in. When he looks at Filnduilas he can see that she is looking at them adoringly. This confuses him because they do not know the prince so intimately as to care for him and his family. No matter what feelings he might have toward the prince, they do not explain Finduilas's reaction. Soon they reach the group waiting for them before the house and the lady steps forward.

"Hail, travelers. Welcome to Emyn Arnen. My name is Éowyn, Princess of Ithilien." The lady says once everyone has demounted.

Faramir smiles at Éowyn to tell her that he is grateful that she refrained from mentioning his name. Having that question to answer would be difficult to do. He does not know how he would explain to them that they are in the presence of their youngest son. For Éowyn to do this means that she is willing to go along with him. Unfortunately for him it also means that she will be questioning him about his reasons whenever she finds the time to do so.

"Hail, princess Éowyn." Denethor says with a bow. He does so because he is aware that everyone sees them as lower ranking people than the prince. Protocol demands then that he bows and his wife makes a courtesy. She does so not long after him. Boromir amuses them for he attempts to copy his father's behavior with little success. His bow looks clumsy to their eyes. Hopefully, the prince and his family will not be offended by it because Boromir meant well.

Just when the princess wants to say something she is interrupted by the arrival of the grooms. They have come to take care of the horses and bring them to the stables. Denethor is surprised to see that there are some Rohirrim among the grooms. Why would they be here working for a Gondorian lord? Normally they are never long outside of Rohan. He can tell that they have been here for some time because the clothing they wear is in part Rohirrim and in part Gondorian. But all that does not explain why they are still here. He wants to have an answer for it because he does not like it when he is unable to answer a question.

It is then that he takes a closer look at the princess to see what he can learn about her. Based on her appearance she is of Rohirrim as well as the two oldest children. Also, these children do not look like the prince at all. The younger children do look like the prince. This tells him that the oldest most likely have a different father than the younger ones. Denethor wonders if the princess is a widow and has remarried. Normally Gondorian nobility is not too fond of marrying widows to put it likely. They usually live with their family or seek sanctuary somewhere because a widow has nothing. Thus for a Gondorian lord and prince to marry a Rohirrim widow, it would mean that she is of noble birth. That would be the only reason for the prince to marry a widow. Society would still deem her a good match. Also, their marriage would answer his question.

For the oldest to be living here with their mother is a surprise because normally the family of their father would raise them. Either because the new husband does not want to have anything to do with the children or because the fathers family does not want to part with them. That usually results in stressful relationships. That they are allowed to be here and interact with their half siblings shows the kindness of the prince. Many men would keep half-siblings separated. Denethor is happy to see this because he has never liked to separate a mother and her children. No matter what society expects.

"Sir, lady, I would like to introduce you to my children, Elboron, Arthoron, Rohiril and Rocwen." The prince says and pulls Denethor out of his thoughts. While telling the names he points to the respective child. Elboron is the oldest child of the prince and thus his heir. He appears to be around six or seven years old. Arthoron is his younger brothers and Denethor deems him to be a toddler. Rohiril and Rocwen are the infants. Rohiril is in her mother's arms while her sister is in their half-sister's. The boys smile at them when they are introduced while dipping their heads a bit. This tells Denethor that they also consider them to be if lower rank. They would have bowed if they considered him to be of equal or higher ranking. It is no surprise considering the prince's behavior towards them.

"And these are Leofdæg and Ceolwyn, the children from my wife's first marriage." The prince says while pointing to each child. As he says this Finduilas can see the affection in their eyes as they look at the prince which is mirrored by the same look in the prince's eye. She smiles because she is pleased to see that they care for each other. Leofdæg is a boy in his teenage years with typical Rohirrim characteristics. Blond hair and blue eyes. Ceolwyn hair is a bit reddish hair and grey eyes. She appears to be close to her teenage years. If Finduilas has to guess her age she would place it around ten to eleven. Absolutely no older. Based on their looks she can make an image in her head what their father looked like. Their father must have been an attractive man just as the prince is. The princess definitely has good taste in men.

"Shall we go inside before the food turns cold?" Princess Éowyn says with insistence.

"Of course, your highness. No one enjoys cold food when it can be eaten warm." Finduilas says with a smile.

"I am glad that you agree with me. If you would follow us then we will guide you to the dining room." Princess Éowyn says. Afterward, she takes the prince's arm and gently directs him into the house.

Finduilas does the same thing with Denethor. Then she looks to see where Boromir is bit does not find him near them. She looks around hurriedly while being worried where Boromir has disappeared to. She does not have to look around long to find him alongside the prince's children. They have also gone into the home of the prince.

* * *

Ten minutes later the two families sit in the dining room. They entered the room not long before but after the servants have left the room. Before leaving they had placed the food on the table on heaters so that the food will still be warm enough for eating. This they did according to the instructions of their lady. She informed them to do when the group entered the courtyard in front of their home.

At this time, Faramir sits at the head of the table with Éowyn on his right side. Their children and stepchildren sit next to her from youngest to oldest. This way Éowyn can aide the child who might need it the most. The older children can manage well enough on their own. Normally, they would not be present during these events as they are too young and will be eating with their nurse then. As they are now in the presence of family this rule does not apply. She recognized them when she managed to glimpse their face beneath the hoods of their cloak.

On Faramir's left side sit Denethor and his family. It is clear for all the adults present that Boromir and Elboron are excitedly talking to each other. Those close to the two can follow their entire conversation while the others manage to catch glimpses. From what Faramir is able to grasp Elboron and Boromir are planning what they will do tomorrow. Elboron is thereby forgetting the lessons he will have tomorrow.

"Elboron, I do not mind that you make plans with Boromir for playing but do not forget your lessons. You will not escape all of them now that we have visitors." Faramir says mildly scolding.

"I know that, ada. I know that. Whenever Dar is visiting I cannot escape them. But can Boromir join me? Please, ada. And which lessons will I not have?" Elboron asks while giving his most innocent look. That way he intends to get his father to be lenient.

"It is good that you know that, Elboron. As for Boromir joining you, I cannot answer that. That is for Boromir's father to decide as I am sure you know quite well. Know that I will not forbid it. As for the lessons you do not have to take, I believe that you can answer that on your own." Faramir says. Elboron knows what are considered his most important lessons and which ones he might be able to miss for a few days. Those lessons Faramir remembers from his own childhood so he knows that his father will be pleased with the possibility of Boromir joining Elboron's lessons.

"I would appreciate it was Boromir to join your son for his lessons." Denethor says. From what he heard the prince say earlier he is certain that it will be possible. When he looks at Boromir he sees the pleased look on his face. This makes him smile because he is glad that Boromir is looking forward to his lessons when normally he despises lessons. That he is looking forward to this is because Boromir found a friend here. For that he is glad. It is rare for his son to make friends whose fathers do not have ulterior motives.

That turns his mind to the person Elboron mentioned. He would like who the person is. The name that was used he feels is an abbreviation the persons' actual name. But that name he is unable to figure out as he cannot connect it with the names he knows. He is sure that this Dar is the son of a lord with whom the prince is friends of allies. That he will only be able to determine once he knows Dar's actual name and that of his father. Hopefully, the prince will be able to give him this insight once he has an opportunity to ask him.

"Of course, sir. I will ensure that they will be able to follow the lessons together. Afterward, you are free to play. But enough about lessons. Let us start our supper or it will turn cold." Faramir says with a smile. This he does to tell everyone that the last part was meant as a joke. It is then that everyone stands up and looks toward the West for a short while. A tradition all are familiar with. Once that is done everyone starts serving and eating the soup. Eating is done in silence and only afterward when they start on the main course does talking resume.

"Your Highness, might I ask who this Dar is your son spoke of?" Denethor asks. Now he has the opportunity to gain the insight he wants to gain. He hopes that the prince is willing to give him the information he desires. Also, he hopes that the prince is not offended by this question. As he does not know his relationship with Dar's father he is unsure if it will be seen as an insulting question. Some would see such questions as insulting depending on the relationship they have with the person being inquired about. He intended for his question to be an innocent one. Now he has to wait and see if the prince does so too.

"Dar is the son of a lord from Minas Tirith and a good friend of my son." Faramir answers. He knows that he is not telling the entire truth but feels unsure how much he should reveal. What will his father reaction be if he tells him the entire truth? He does not believe that his father will be happy with it. To avoid strive he decides to hide this information until he has talked to the king. Only that which he needs to release he will. But nothing more. He also wonders how everything he does will impact the timeline. That is something which he will not know because he will never learn of it. Still, he needs to be careful with what he will tell his father to restrict the changes that can come from this.

"Then I will have known him when he was younger. I have lived all my life in Minas Tirith so know all the lord. What is the lord's name and that of his son?" Denethor asks intrigued. What he said is true because he knows all the entire nobility of Minas Tirith. Some better than others. If he knows the names then he will be able to determine how close the relationship is between the fathers. Or at least make an educated guess about it. It would help were he to know the name of the prince. But considering that the prince has refrained from giving it until now he will have to wait until the prince reveals it. He feels that it will not take too long before he knows the name of the prince. Then he will be sure if his guess is correct.

"My son's friend is called Eldarion and his father is called Elessar." Faramir says after some time considering how to best answer his father's question. He revealed those names because he is sure that his father does not know them. Thus he feels it is alright for him to supply him those names.

"Who is this Elessar? I never heard of a man called by that name." Denethor says confused. Elessar is a name he has never heard in the noble circles so how can there be a lord who is called by this name. It does not make any sense to him why a prince would be friends with a lord of unknown origin. The only reason he can imagine is that this Elessar uses the prince to gain influence. That, in turn, will only be possible if the prince is close to him. Denethor believes that he has not died and thus is still the steward of Gondor.

His statement results in a silence falling over the room. The silence has kind of hidden heaviness to it because the children do look confused while their parents have a stressed look on their face. Their posture is at the same time easy. It appears that the prince and princess want to hide whatever has them stressed from the children. Denethor can see that they look at each other as if to decide who will answer him. In the end, it appears as if the prince is to answer his question to him. He can see that the prince is considering how to best answer his question. Denethor wonders why it is so difficult to do so. He would only have to say who this Elessar is. It is not as if he approached a sensitive subject. Or has he? Before the prince can answer his son does so for him.

"Why do you ask that sir? Elessar is the king. Everyone knows that." Elboron says with the conviction only a child can depict.

"But there has been no king in Gondor since Eärnur." Denethor says totally confused. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 21-12-2018: small update due to a mistake which was pointed out to me.


	7. Chapter 7

Denethor knows that he would have known if Gondor had a king again for he would have to surrender his rule to him. This is what confuses him for he refuses to do so but for one person. Unfortunately, he is not sure if that person is still alive and how their relationship is. He was quite resentful to this person during their last few days together. He still regrets not making up to him. He still misses Gil from time to time. No matter the difference they had sometimes.

The boy's answer shows how close his father is to this king. This does not surprise him because it is not unusual for a ruler to surround himself with those he likes. Likes as in deeming them important to get everything done the way they want it. His are different from his father and Boromir's will be different from him. That is why he is not surprised by this. What he still wants to know is what the king's name is that he used before being crowned. Elessar he believes to be a regnal name. Thus he was not given this name by his parents and he wants to know what that name is.

"Near the end of the third age, Elessar was victorious in battle against Mordor. He was crowned a month after his victorious battle. With the acceptance of the people." Faramir explains. He added the last to tell his father that there was no violent power grab. He also kept his explanation short so as to assure that his parents do not know how that battle came to be.

As for Elboron giving away the fact that Elessar is king, he is not happy with it. One of the reasons for it is that he is not sure how his father thinks about there being a king on the throne again. Still, he knows that he has to work with it and why he decided to keep the details of the battle from his parents. Luckily, Elboron did not say that Elessar was called Aragorn before his crowning. He is sure that that would have angered his father considering what he knows about their relationship. It was not good in the final months of the king's previous stay in Gondor when he was called Thorongil. How it was before that time Faramir does not know for sure. The king refuses to discuss it which gave him the impression that it has never been good, to begin with. He then he can never be sure of it until the king tells him or he asks his father. Something which he is sure to be able to now. He refrains from it for he fears the reaction that could evict.

Faramir's explanation pulls Denethor from his musing. He nods to tell the prince that he understands what he said. But is not happy with how little the prince has shared about the current time. He had hoped that the prince would have shared the history of the battle he has mentioned and some of the events leading up to the battle. It annoys him that the prince is so evasive. Still, he wants to learn about the current time all that he can and thus decides to question the prince which he does not long afterward. The answers he gets are not satisfactorily as the prince continues to tell as little as he possibly can. It gives the impression that he wants to evade the questions. When he asks him about it the prince tells him that he is not sure how to explain everything. That Denethor is sure is a lie. The prince knows full well how to explain everything to him. He is just unwilling to do so. Furthermore, Denethor is sure that the prince is better at evading questions than he is not. Otherwise, he would not have survived in court for more than one day.

Despite the prince evasive answering he manages to learn that the princess Éowyn is the sister to Rohan's king. This confirms his belief that she is of noble birth. The prince also tells him that the older children are from his wife's first husband. This confirms his belief that she remarried. He is pleased to know that he has the right feeling about the princess but hides it from everyone. He does not want to be asked why he looks so pleased. About the prince, he learns very little. Thus he knows not if the marriage has been for the prince to raise in ranking or to strengthen the alliance between Gondor and Rohan. For that, he needs to know the prince background. To which house does he belong? Where is he in the line of inheritance? That are two of the most important questions for him to get answers to. Only then will he be able to determine the reason for their marriage. Another thing he manages to pry from the prince is the fact that the north and the south have been reunited by the king. This tells him that the king has to have come from Armor. Could it be that Gill finally decided to claim his right? He hopes so but knows that he is only able to determine that once he meets Elessar. Every other question he asks he is unable to get satisfying answers to as to those the prince is being skillfully evasive. These evasive answers are much better than the weak evasion he got earlier. It confirms his belief that the prince can be cunning when he wants to be.

Meanwhile, Finduilas and Éowyn talk about their children and everything they experienced with them. It does not surprise them that they experienced similar matters with their boys. That is something all mothers discover when they compare experiences. What differences is the way they motivate their children or persuade them to do things? It surprises them as they deem Boromir and Elboron to be similar in character.

These discussions happen during the time they eat their main course and dessert. It ensures that there little to no silence falls over the room. Once supper is done, Faramir and Éowyn guide everyone to the living room where they continue to talk until it is time for the children to go to bed. Something which meets heavy protest.

***

Éowyn and Finduilas are walking back to the living room after having put Boromir to bed. Éowyn went with them to show Finduilas where their assigned room is. This will ensure that she and Denethor can find their way to their room on their own.

When they entered Boromir's room from the hallway Finduilas can see a bed standing against the right wall. There were also a dresser and closet in the room. These stood behind the foot of the bed. On the floor, she could see a soft carpet lying as well as a deerskin. The decorating of the room shows that it is a children's room as well as its location. In the left wall was a door which Éowyn told her leads to their room.

After putting Boromir to bed they go through the door to the adjacent room. Inside the room stands a large bed with a cradle on the side for little Faramir. The room also ha so dresser and closet as well as a carpet and a few deerskins covering the ground. All this Finduilas could see when she was showed the room. It eases her mind to know that Faramir will be close to her during the night.

When she looks up Finduilas finally starts to take into account the appearance of the hallway they are walking through. Before her attention was mostly on focused Boromir as well as ensuring that they would not get separated from Princess Éowyn. Not that she feels that the hallways are difficult to navigate through. But more so than the distance they are removed from their guests. Also, Boromir kept her occupied with complaining about having to go to bed. He repeatedly refused even though he was clearly tired.

Looking at the hallway she sees that it is decorated with paintings and banners. The paintings she knows are in one of the styles used for decorating the hallway around the rooms for visiting dignitaries. All of them are formal paintings. The banners she finds a bit out of place here but then they are in a new age. Hallway decorating customs change nearly every year a bit. Besides the paintings and banners on the walls, there are also mounted candleholders on it. As they leave the hallway they come into one with bare walls except for the mounted candleholders. This tells her that they have left guest quarters.

"Lady, what do you find of the rooms I had prepared for you and your family?" Éowyn asks once she sees that Finduilas is done with her recollecting. She can imagine what Finduilas has been thinking about.

"These are nice rooms that you had prepared. I deem it a room fit for visiting dignitaries. Might I ask why you gave us this room?" Finduials asks curiously. She would imagine that they would be given simple guest rooms, not rooms fit for dignitaries. In fact, she would not have done so. That is why she wonders why princess Éowyn would do that. Does she know something which she does not share?

"It was the only room large enough so that you can keep your youngest close during the night. As well as the only room connected to another. All the other rooms have to be entered through the hallway. I would appreciate that where I in your situation." Éowyn answers. She would have wanted her children close in such a situation. That is why she had the room prepared. Thinking about the family Éowyn still finds it strange to interact with her in-laws. For that is what Denethor and Finduilas are to her. Even though she can not treat them like that. The strangeness is because she has never met them and only knows of them through the stories others tell. Those about Finduilas are always either positive or sad. Depending on the time where the story took place. Those about Denethor are mostly negative when they are about the time after Finduilas' death. Stories about the time before her death are more positive

"Then I have to thank you for your consideration of our situation." Finduilas says. Her gratitude visible in her voice and eyes. Finduilas is relieved by it even though she never expected it.

A few minutes later they are back in the living room. There the prince and Denethor are still talking to each other. Denethor holds little Faramir in his arms who is sleeping soundlessly. Finduilas smiles adoringly at the sight. It clearly shows how much Faramir enjoys being close to his father. As well as that Denethor enjoys having his son close. She and princess Éowyn join them and they continue to talk for a few more hours before retiring for the night.

***

That evening Éowyn is getting ready for the night while Faramir watches her from where he lies in the bed. He has been ready for a few minutes now. That he watches his wife is because he always enjoys seeing her readying herself for the night. He can tell from the way she acts that she had something on her mind. To learn what that is he will have to wait for her to start talking. Pressing her or questioning her has the opposite result. Then she shuts down and refuses to talk about what is on her mind. Which might last for a few hours to a few days. As he wants to avoid that he decides to patiently wait for her to start talking.

A few minutes later Éowyn finishes braiding her hair and slips into the bed without saying a single word. She then turns on her side and presses into Faramir's. When Faramir feels this he gets worried. Éowyn only ever presses into his side if she is disturbed or worried by something as she seeks support then. What could have her disturbed or worried he does not know.

"Faramir? What will you do with your parents being here? They need to return to their own time." Éowyn says with a worried voice.

"I am not sure. For now, I would like to keep them here. In a few days when I leave for Minas Tirith, I will take them with me. Hopefully, Aragorn knows how to solve this situation." Faramir explains calmly. He is glad that Éowyn talked about what has been worrying her so quickly. That way she pulled him from his recollection. Faramir hopes that his words will be able to reassure her. When she eases a bit in his side he asks.

"Do you not want to know how I found them?"

"Of course I do want to know that." Éowyn says. How could he think that she would not want to know that? He should know better than that.

This reaction makes Faramir smile for it shows that her anxiety has totally left her. He then explains to her how he found Boromir and in turn his family. Éowyn feels pity for Boromir when she hears that he got lost from his family and voices this. Still, the reaction his father had when he showed up made Éowyn smile. About an hour later they fall asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

The following morning Denethor and Finduilas wake up and ready themselves for the day. Thankfully they can loan some clothing from the prince and his wife because their own clothing is dirty and needs to be washed. When they are ready Finduilas walks toward Denethor. He is standing next t9 the cradle looking at a sleeping Faramir. Once she reaches them she touches his shoulder and asks.

"Denethor, could you go wake up Boromir? While you are there, could you help him get ready for the day? While you do that I will feed and prepare Faramir for the day?"

"Of course, meleth. When Boromir is ready we will join you here." Denethor says before leaving the room. He knows that it would be better for him to get Boromir ready as he can do little to get Faramir ready. This way they will endure that they will be able to leave for breakfast at the same time.

Finduilas shakes her head at Denethor's statement once he moves toward the door. She knows from experience that Denethor will not have Boromir ready before she has Faramir ready. Boromir always wants to do everything himself which ensures that it takes a lot of time for him to get ready. Especially, if Boromir needs help with something. Oh, what she would give to be able to see them right now. It will surely be amusing for those who watch. Not so much for Denethor and Boromir. They will be stressed and irritated before they are done.

Hopefully, that will leave them once they have breakfast. That makes her wonder if she could possibly leave him with the princess's infants and their nurse as she did yesterday during supper. Like yesterday evening she will collect him once they are done eating. But first, she needs to make sure that Faramir is ready for the day. With that in mind, she looks around to see what she will dress him in. After a quick search, she finds some clothing in the dresser. As she looks it over she can tell that these clothes belong to the prince's family. They were most likely worn by the prince's sons when they were Faramir's age. Intending to thank the prince and his wife later she starts to prepare Faramir.

Firstly she changes his diapers before dressing him in the clothing she found. Then she starts to feed him after having freed her breast from her dress. From his healthy appetite, Finduilas knows that Faramir has been hungry. But as is typical he never cried out. Faramir simply waited until he was either fed or he could no longer wait. From experience, she knows that that could be a few hours later. Once Faramir shows that he has had enough to eat she lets him burp. Then she rearranges her dress neatly and afterward says.

"Shall we go see how far your brother and father are?"

Faramir reacts by looking at her attentively. This makes Finduilas smiles as she has to wonder what her son is thinking about. Together they walk to the adjacent room. Once there Finduilas can see that Boromir is putting on his booths on his own. Denethor is sitting next to him on the bed with an irritated look. She can imagine where that came from. When Finduilas looks at Boromir's clothing she has to sigh for it rumpled and his trousers are still open. As is the top of his short. She did not expect anything better to be honest as Boromir found those things difficult. She can see traces that he has tried to close it on his own. She appreciates Boromir's persistence and attempts on dressing himself. Finduilas feels confident that in at most six months he will be able to fully dress on his own.

As she needs to help Boromir with that she walks up to his bed and gives Faramir to Denethor. Then she turns to Boromir at the same time as he stands up from his bed. Then Finduilas crouches down before him and starts to rearrange his clothes. During that time she ties Boromir's trousers together as well as the top of his shirt. She can tell that these clothes are also borrowed from the prince. Once she is done, Finduilas asks.

"Shall we go to the dining room to eat our breakfast?"

"Yes, nana. I am really hungry." Boromir says with honesty visible in his voice. The kind of honesty only children can show that is. This makes Finduilas struggle to contain her laughter. She knows that Denethor will be struggling with the same thing. It is funny to see how serious he can be while attempting to appear older than he is. She wonders where this came from as he has never done so before.

Afterward, the family walks together out of the room into the hallway. There they turn in the direction of the dining room. Before they left the room Denethor gave Faramir back to her while taking Boromir's hand in his. Looking at Faramir makes her remember that she needs to ask the princess if he can be left in the care of her nurse. She hopes that she can quickly find the princess to ask her thus. As such she is pleasantly surprised to see the princess waking towards them as they turn the corner int9 the hallway where the dining room is located. She looks the princess in the eye to tell her that she needs to talk to her before turning to Denethor and saying.

"Denethor, why do you not walk ahead to the dining room? I need to ask princess Éowyn something. Afterward, I will join you for breakfast. Most likely together with princess Éowyn."

"Of course, we will wait with eating our breakfast until you have joined us." Denethor says while pulling Boromir along with him. From the way, Boromir struggles it is clear that he does not want to go with his father. He keeps pulling against his father and does not want to move as he keeps his feet strongly locked with the ground. He clearly wants to stay with her. Most likely because he wants to know what she needs to ask the princess. But she knows that it is better for him to go with his father. It will allow her to walk faster.

"Lady, what is it that you want to ask me?" Éowyn asks curiously. The sign Finduilas gave off was clear to her. Hence why she waited with asking her question until Denethor and Boromir left. Now she is curious to know what it is that Finduilas wants to ask.

"Your Highness, I would like to ask if it is possible for your nurse to look after Faramir while we are eating breakfast?" Finduilas asks. She hopes it is possible as she does not know what to do with Faramir if princess Éowyn's nurse cannot look after him.

"Naturally, that is possible. I was in the understanding that you knew that after yesterday's supper." Éowyn answers confused. She never said anything about it for she believed that Finduilas would know that her nurse would look after her son when she would be unable to do so. To now get this question confuses her for it tells her that Finduilas did not understand it. To avoid having such misunderstandings in the future she wants to know how it occurred.

"Thank you, your Highness. I am grateful for your aide. As we are no family of each other I was unsure if you would allow it when you did not say anything about it yesterday evening. I know of some who would not have been so helpful as you are." Finduilas says. Those people she knew from visits she made. Together with her husband or alone with Boromir. But then she always knew it before they left Minas Tirith so she had made precautions. Such as bringing their own nurse along.

Afterward, Finduilas and Éowyn bring Faramir to the nurse who will look after him. Then they walk to the dining room. They want to avoid letting their family wait long for them. As they are also hungry they are eager to join them for breakfast. A few minutes later they arrive at the dining room door and step inside the room. Once inside Finduilas can see Boromir playing with Elboron in a corner. Denethor and Faramir are talking to each other as they sit at the table.

"Good morning, your Highness." Finduilas says as she greets the prince. She would like to know the prince's name. It would make it easier for them to address him. Or at the very least think about him. She finds it difficult to think about a person only by their rank. It is easier to think about someone by name and title so as to avoid confusing them with someone else accidentally.

"Good morning, Éowyn, lady." The prince says. Then he turns his attention to the children and calls them to the table.

Only now does Finduilas see that the other children were playing together in another corner. A short while later everyone sits at the table. The prince sounds a bell after which the servants enter the room bringing their breakfast. Breakfast consists out of bread, ham, cheese, eggs, and some cooked meat. Alongside this servants also bring in a kettle of tea and a jug of juice. It takes them but a short while before they have everything standing on the table.

Boromir instantly wants to reach for some of it as it is placed on the table but is stopped by his mother. What Boromir tried to do is not allowed by the etiquette. Etiquette states that they are to wait until the highest ranking person starts before they can serve themselves.

As Finduilas is unsure of the ranking she decides to wait until the prince starts his breakfast. She understands why Boromir did not follow the etiquette. He has not yet learned it. Also, she has gotten the impression that the prince wants to talk about something. She wants to know what it is she so patiently waits for him to talk. This waiting she can tell that Boromir finds difficult. Which is entirely normal for someone his age. As such she is pleasantly surprised by how well the prince's children can wait.

"Lady, sir, I will be leaving for Minas Tirith in a few days. I would like for you to accompany me together with Boromir." The prince says.

This request surprises Denethor and Finduilas completely. Well, request? The prince's voice makes it clear that it is actually an order and not a request. But that does not tell them why he would want them to come along on his trip to Minas Tirith in a few days. He could have simply sent them there with a company of guards. So why would he tell them now to come with him to Minas Tirith and did he not simply send them there when he found them.

It does not make sense in Denethor's opinion. He also wonders what they will see during the trip. How does the city look now that there is a king? How will the king greet them?

The first is easy to answers as he is certain that the royal banner will flow over the city as is protocol. The banner of the ruling house flows over the city when they are present. Also, the city will not have changed too much. Changing the city completely is an impossible task without outright demolishing it. And that will not be accepted by the lords nor the people. But the second question is not so easy to answer as it depends largely on what kind of person the king is. And about that, he knows very little. That is why he is certain that he needs to wait until he is in Minas Tirith before he can answer it.

"Yes, boys you can accompany me. In fact, I expected you to come along together with your mother and siblings."

Denethor hears the prince say when he pays attention to the room once more. He clearly was so deep in his thoughts that he failed to notice their conversation. As such he does not know for certain what the prince and his sons were talking about. But from what he heard the prince say he gets the impression that the children want to come along. He is glad that the prince allows them to come along so that Boromir has someone to play with. As he looks at Boromir he can tell based Based on his son's expression he is clearly happy with the prince's words. Denethor imagines that it is because he will have a friend to play with.

"Thank you, father. We will be on our best behavior will we not?" Elboron says. Arthoron nods with a serious expression on his face.

It is clear that they want to reassure their father so that he does not change his mind. A thing Denethor knows plenty of parents use. The treat is changing one's mind always ensures that children behave. They do not like it for having been allowed something first only to be told later that they are not allowed to anymore.

"Oh, I am sure you will. You know the consequences if you do not behave. Let us end it here and start with our breakfast. That way we all can begin our day on time. I do not want to start late as I am sure you all agree with." The prince says.

Denethor has to agree with the prince. Starting late always ensures that one will get behind schedule. Which annoys nearly everyone. Least of all one's wife and children. Then everyone turns to look west for a short while before beginning with their breakfast. Once everyone is eating breakfast they discuss what they will do today.

"I will be working in my office on my duties as prince and steward of Gondor." The prince says.

Denethor is surprised by this as he was unaware that the prince is the steward. Is the prince a member of the house of Húrin? The prince never said anything about his family except for those who are in this room. As such Denethor never got indications that he is of his own house. Well actually he could be from another house but that would mean that the king has appointed a new steward and did not give it to one of his kin. How that came to be, has two possibilities. The first possibility is that his entire family has died. The second possibility is that his kin has been replaced by someone more to the king's liking. Until the prince talks about how he became steward he will not know what possibility actually happened.

"I will be doing the same thing as ever. Looking after the household and caring for our horses." Princess Éowyn says.

This partly surprises Denethor as he never imagined that she would look after the horses on his own. Well, on second thought he is not surprised at all. Princess Éowyn is a Rohirrim and he knows full well how important horses are to them. Which would mean that it will not unusual for a noblewoman to care for the horses. As for looking after the household that is a normal thing to do for a noblewoman. As such that did not surprise him.

"Lady Finduilas, what will you and Denethor be doing today?" The prince asks.

"I would like for us to talk after breakfast, Denethor. There is something I need to talk about with you. Afterward, I would like to spend the day together. It has been a long time since we had a day all to ourselves." Finduilas says while looking into Denethor's face.

"Of course, meleth." Denethor answers dutifully. He knows that he has no other choice. Finduilas' face clearly showed that she would break no refusal on his part. The smile he can see on the prince's face when he looks at him, tells him that the prince also got this impression. But he does not know what she wants to talk about. He knows that after breakfast he will learn what it is.

"As for you, children. We know that you will have your lessons in the morning. In the afternoon you will be able to play. Most likely outside considering the weather." Princess Éowyn says with a knowing look.

"Of course, mother. We know that we have lessons and cannot escape them. But afterward, we will be playing outside as you said. It is so nice today that it would be a shame not to take advantage of this." Elboron says happily.

Denethor can see Arthoron and Boromir nodding in agreement. It makes him smile to see how quickly the boys became friends. The prince starts on his breakfast not long afterward followed by everyone else in the room.

* * *

A few hours before supper, Faramir decides to take a short break as a serving maid brings in refreshment and tea. He is sure that Éowyn has arranged for this. She always seems to be able to tell what he needs when he will be working for a full day. This break will allow his mind and body to take some rest which he needs considering the progress of the past hour. Which was not much Faramir has to admit.

Once the maid has placed everything on his desk in a way that it will not interfere should he be inclined to continue working, she leaves the room. Then Faramir puts his pencil down and looks at what was brought. On his desk stands a tray of freshly baked cookies considering the smell of them. There is also a kettle of tea, a bottle of honey as well as a teacup and spoon. Faramir pours himself a cup of tea before adding a small spoon of honey. When that is done he takes a cookie and considering what he has done already.

He had started his day with his official correspondence. In it was a letter from Aragorn concerning the treaty he has managed to negotiate with the khan as well as a request for his opinion on the treaty. As such Faramir spend a long time analyzing the treaty which was enclosed with the letter. He did this so that he will be able to give his lord his opinion. Only when he was able to do that was he able to turn back to his correspondence.

The other letters were from lords who felt the need to complain to him about the latest law changes. All expressed the same hope that he might be able to change his lord's opinion. Some expressed it more directly than others. Unfortunately for them, he will not even attempt to change Aragorn's opinion. The changes they complained about were already fully addressed between Aragorn and himself. Some of which he actually had suggested to Aragorn himself.

Afterward, Faramir ate the lunch that was brought to him before turning to the stack of military reports. All these troops need to receive new orders as soon as possible. As well as he himself needing to be informed about the state of his domain. With that, he occupied most of his time until now for it takes time to read the reports as well as writing down orders.

Ten minutes later, Faramir ends his break and starts to work on his small stack of requests. These come from his subjects as well as his lords. It is in his opinion a boring task for most of the request are trivial. Those he always sends to the local lord or a village elder to deal with. They are more than capable of doing so. Those that are not trivial he always deals with personally. Depending on the complexity he spends more or less time on one request. With this, he is busy until it is time for supper.

* * *

During the same then Éowyn walks out of the house to check on the children outside. She wants to know what they have been doing so far. Also, she intends to bring them the basket she is holding. It contains cookies, a bottle of fruit juice as well as glasses. With it, she intends to surprise them for she is certain that they do not expect this. As she walks to where the children are Éowyn considers what she has gotten done so far.

After breakfast, she helped the servants clean up the dining room and with washing the dishes. The reason for this is that they had more dishes than normal. Considering how much they will have to do for dinner and supper she felt the need to aide them. It would be stressing for them otherwise. And that is something which she wants to avoid at all cost. If she is able to do it that is. Once the dishes were washed she decided to start making her daily round through the household. During her round she wants to know how everything is going and if help is wanted or needed.

As she is already in the kitchen she decides that this is a good place to start with her daily round. Here she discusses dinner and supper plans with the kitchen staff. It is decided that she will eat dinner with the children, Denethor and Finduilas in the dining room. Faramir will not be included as he has enough work to do today. As is normal for him the day after he went to check on the patrols. He always has to do the work of two days then which in turn leads to a full day of work for him. When the rider came to inform her of their guest she could see what was awaiting her husband’s return for she met the rider in Faramir's office. There were already a few stacks of paper on his desk then. Thus she had an idea of how much Faramir has to work through today. This is the reason she decided to exclude him from dinner and arrange for him to eat in his office.

Afterward, she completed her round by visiting the remainder of her staff. They had little information she needed to know for they said that they had everything under control. Only the cleaned staff complained to her about muddy boot prints and additional rooms to clean. The last was not such a serious problem as the first was. Or that is the impression she gets from her cleaning staff. Éowyn promises them that she would talk to culprit about it. She is certain that the culprit is one of her boys who forgot to clean his boots after being outside playing in the mud. Something which he has had to remind them of a few times too many already in her opinion. Now she only has to find out who it was. Because of all this, she was done early with her rounds and needed to do something until breakfast. She has two options, namely working on her correspondence or starting to pack for the upcoming trip to Minas Tirith. Considering that packing will take some time and most likely more than she has available Éowyn decided that working through her correspondence would be the best option she has.

Thus a few minutes later Éowyn entered her bedroom and walked to the desk in the corner to work on her correspondence. She had only received letters from her family and Arwen. The letters from her family were typical as they contained information about what has happened in their life recently. They also contained a request about her life and that of her family. Those letters she managed to write a reply to quickly. She relied on them of how their lives have been but refrained from mentioning their guests. Knowing her family they will come to check on them. The thing which they cannot use right now. Thirty minutes after starting on these letters she had all the replies finished and stacked on her desk so that the messenger can deliver them the next time he leaves. Now that she thought about it she might as well take them with her to Minas Tirith and have them delivered there to the recipients.

It is then that she started in the letter from Arwen. This one took some more time to answer for it was a lengthy letter. In it Arwen wrote about the impending visit from the Khan and his family. This visit will take place in a week time. The visit is the reason why Faramir has been called back to the city. Arwen mentioned that Aragorn intends to meet them on the border as part of the agreement made with the Kahn to sign the treaty. That there is now a treaty about to be signed is remarkable for Éowyn knows how difficult is has been to even begin diplomacy with them. The khan was distrustful towards Gondor considering that they were enemies during the war. The same counts for Gondor which meant that Aragorn faced heavy protests from lords when he said that he wanted to negotiate peace with them. The lords were against the negotiations for peace with a former enemy so soon after the war. They said that it is waiting for them to attack them. That Faramir and Imrahil supported Aragorn meant that in the end the protests stopped and negotiations could begin. All the lords respect her uncle and husband too much to give them trouble when something might potentially work in their favor. The peace could mean that the lords are able to gain more wealth and influence. So they stopped their protest in the hopes of gaining more wealth in the future.

Éowyn decided not to write Arwen back. She was certain that Arwen expects her to arrive with Faramir so will not be awaiting a response. Thus writing a letter would be futile. She put Arwen's letter to the side and looks out of the window to see what time it is. Éowyn was shocked to see it is nearly time for dinner. She had not noticed that it was already so late. She imagined that she would have some time still. Considering the time she hurriedly made her way to the dining room. She did not want Denethor and Finduilas to have to wait for her. As she arrived Éowyn was pleasantly surprised to see that she is still on time. Dinner was a relatively calm event. Or as calm as is possible for a dinner with young children. There were a few questions asked about Faramir's absence but they were easy for her to answers. It helped that Denethor and Finduilas understood her reasoning and the children know this from previous occasions. All this told her that what she has done is not a strange thing to happen.

Once dinner was finished Éowyn left to go pack the things which she already can. It will ensure that there is less to do tomorrow. Before she started she first collected a bag in which to put everything. Only then did she actually start packing. When that was done for as far as was possible she went to the kitchen to collect some juice and refreshments for the children. Hence how she came to be watching them play currently.

"Children, come here. I have something to drink as well as some refreshments for you." Éowyn calls out once she notices that they have stopped their game. Most likely to rest a bit. She can hear how heavy they are breathing which tells her that they have been playing an intense game for some time. She can see how quickly they gather arias her once they head her words. It tells her that no one can wait to enjoy what she has brought. Still, it will ensure that they will sleep soundly tonight.

A few minutes later everyone sits on the blanket she has spread over the ground while she was watching them. They all enjoy what she has bright and afterward the children play until it is time for supper. Éowyn watching them during that time.

* * *

The children's day starts with lessons after they had eaten breakfast. Today they worked on their writing and reading before getting a third age history lesson. It is an interesting history lesson for all since no one has learned about the things that they are now being taught. Elboron and Arthoron looked at each other. This way they told each other to ask Aragorn for a story about that time when they can. He always tells the best stories just as their father can. It is something which they always look forward to. They had these lessons until it was time for dinner.

During dinner, Elboron and Arthoron were questioned by their mother about who entered the house with muddy shoes yesterday. Elboron knew that it was him for he did not go outside yesterday. He told his mother that. That was also how he knew that it must have been Arthoron who entered the house with muddy shoes. When Elboron looked at his brother he could see the guild hiding behind his eyes. His mother must have seen the same thing considering the scolding Arthoron received. A scolding for which he pitied his brother. He never liked to get one himself from their mother. Nor to have anyone else receive them. He knew how much his brother loves to be outside. And as he could remember where Arthoron was when they were called inside he knew that it would have been impossible for him to get to his room in time to prepare himself for greeting their guests if he cleaned his boots first. But Elboron kept it for himself because else he would have received a scolding for not informing the staff about it so that they could clean it. That way cleaning would have been easier. That he did not inform them was because he forgot to do so. He was so busy getting to the front of the house in time to greet their guests that he did my think about it again. The remainder of the dinner was a calm affair where everyone talks to each other. About topics which carry little importance, for Elboron, that is.

Once dinner was over they quickly went outside to play. There they spend the entire afternoon playing games. Elboron was grateful that his mother came with drinks and refreshments. Something which he forgot to arrange but thanks to his mother did not have to worry about. They were so focused on their game that no one notices his mother approaching. They only noticed her when she called them to her. At which time they all hurried to her. No one wanted to miss out on the treats. Once they sat on the blanket they each received a glass of juice and some treats. These were immensely enjoyed by all. The treats tasted really well. After drinking and eating the treats all they quickly went back to their game which they enjoyed immensely until suppertime.

* * *

Denethor's and Finduilas' morning was relaxed for they spend it on each other's company. Something which they can do but sparsely for both their duties prevent them from doing so. They walked around the prince's house a bit. As well as outside in the courtyard and the gardens. During all that time Denethor wondered what Finduilas wants to talk about. She had not once mentioned it again. What also made him wonder was why she did not talk about it as soon as they were together. That was something which he would have expected from her. There was one thing he could see from his wife. And that was that she had been basking in his company during the morning.

When it was time for dinner they went to the dining room after giving Faramir into the nurse's care once more. He had been in their presence since breakfast was over. Denethor enjoyed it for he has had little time with his second born. Even less than he had with Boromir when he was this age. And that was already not a lot of time. So he made the most of the time he has now to be with his family and not distracted by his duties.

Dinner was an easy affair where they talked about normal conversational matters after the princess was done questioning her sons and berating her youngest. Denethor was greatly amused by it for entering the house with muddy shoes was something Boromir has done multiple times. That Elboron only said that he never left the house yesterday and nothing in defense of his little brother tells him that it is not a strange occurrence here. Boromir he imagined would defend his brother if it were them in their shoes. The princess must have scolded her sons before in a similar matter. How the prince would have reacted he does not know for he is unable to observe it.

After dinner, Finduilas asked him to meet her in their guest rooms. She would pick Faramir up from the nurse and then they would talk. Denethor was relieved for he wanted to know what his wife intended to talk about. Preferably as soon as possible. The children said they would go outside to play while the princess mentioned that he had other things to do. This meant that they will have the time to themselves. Denethor imagined that princess Éowyn would want to start the preparations for the upcoming trip. Something which cannot be rushed for fear of forgetting something. That is how he has come to be where he is now. Currently, he sits on the couch before the fireplace in their guest room. As he sits there Denethor starts to contemplate all possible topics when the door opens. At the sound door being opened, he looks up to see who came into the guest room. He sees that it is Finduilas who enters the room with Faramir in her arms. Denethor smiles and beckons her to join him on the couch. Once she sits on the couch he takes Faramir into his arms before asking.

"What is it that you want to talk with me about, meleth?"

"I want to talk about our current situation. If it is really true what the prince said? From what you told him I understood that you will believe what he said until you can either confirm or denounce his words. Also, if it is true what he said then what will we do." Finduilas says.

Denethor takes his time to carefully consider how to answer her by looking attentively at his son. Faramir is awake and looking at him while waving his hands around. From how Finduilas talked Denethor can clearly tell how worried she is. She wants to know what they will do. Which he would also want to know. As such he has been taking careful note of everything he could see. Based on that he will have to make his decisions. Still, Denethor is unsure if she has mentioned everything that worries her. He cannot shake the feeling that she has not. Denethor hopes that she will share it before their conversation ends. Else it will be difficult to reassure her as well as convince her of the actions they will take.

"Everything that has happened clearly indicates that it is true what the prince has said. Firstly, it would have been difficult to bring us here without us being noticing it. Secondly, it would have been possible to build all this in a short time where this some kind of plot. They only had at most a few days to build which is too short to do it. Had they been building for longer than I would have gotten word about it." Denethor says. He can see Finduilas nodding. Denethor takes a deep breath before continuing.

"Also, it would have been difficult to find all the people and getting them to play along. Lastly, it would have been impossible for the children to play along for so long. Especially Arthoron. He is so young that he would have been unable to keep the act up all this time. Where they playing us then he would have shown signs of it by now. No matter how small. Of that I am certain." Denethor answers calmly.

"Then it is true what he said." Finduilas concludes.

"Yes, I believe it is." Denethor says.

"What will we do now?" Finduilas asks once more. Denethor is able her the worry in her voice. This he places his hand on her leg soothingly.

"I do not know. We will need to rely on the goodwill of the prince for the time being. Once we are in Minas Tirith then we can start looking for a way back to our time. It is important that dr return to our time or the timeline might be in danger. Hopefully, the king will not give us to many problems. It would be even better if he were to know a way and or for him to help us. " Denethor says.

"I agree with you on that. There is little else we can do." Finduilas says.

When Denethor looks at her he can see that she is thinking about something. He decides to wait with prompting her to speak up. He would prefer for her to speak on her own violation about what is on her mind. That way she will tell him more. Or that is his experience with his wife.

"Did you see the banner that flows over the city?" Finduilas says. It is clear to Denethor that she only said this after considering how best to approach whatever is on her mind. This means that there is something else which is also on her mind. Also, it means that she wants him to remember something. Or else Finduilas would have not asked this question.

"When did you see it? I cannot remember seeing a banner." Denethor says. He wonders when she saw it for he cannot remember seeing a banner when he enters the city nor when they were outside earlier today.

"I saw it when we approached the city. Do you remember seeing a banner then?" Finduilas asks. Her statement makes it clear that she wants him to remember something concerning the banner she saw. A banner which he cannot remember. That is why he tells her.

"No, but what has you so worried about the banner?"

As he speaks up he also frowns in an attempt to get her to clarify what her point is. He wonders why the banner is so important that it has had her worried. It is true that it will tell them something abiotic the prince's heritage. But that does not explain why it would worry her.

"The banner I saw is the one you have always flying over Minas Tirith. You know as well as I do that no one would allow someone to use the banner were they not your descendants." Finduilas says.

"That is true. But I got the impression that there has not passed so much time that we could be in the presence of our grandson or more distant descendants." Denethor wonders aloud. What she says about the use of the banner corresponds with what he knows. For the prince to use his family's banner he must be family.

"I know. I have been studying the prince's face and it is a lot like yours. He has not the same build as Boromir shows he will have." Finduilas says.

Denethor frowns because this can only mean one thing. Looking surprised at his wife he says.

"You want to tell me that we are guest of Faramir."

Afterward, he looks at his youngest in his arms in wonder. To imagine that his youngest becomes a prince. He has no words for it.

"Yes, that is what I want to tell you. I am also nearly certain that he is the steward of Gondor for I do not believe that the prince's trip to Minas Tirith is leisurely. I believe it to be the result of a summoning from the king." Finduilas says.

"You are right. The trip has all the signs of a summon even though he said little about it. A prince or lord will only leave their fief if there is a pressing need for it. In all other cases, he will send a representative." Denethor says and then smiles while saying.

"I am glad that our family still holds the steward's office and is not stripped of it."

Denethor knows that for his son to be summoned to Minas Tirith there must be a council being called. Or at the very least the king has a need for him for some reason. No other reason makes sense. For no one would receive a fief and royal title where they to be stripped of it in the future. That is something which is simply not done.

"I know. That is a relief. But it also makes me worry about Boromir's future. For Faramir to become stewards means that our eldest died without children. Had Boromir ahead children then his oldest would take the office of steward when he becomes twenty-one years old. Faramir would have called himself the guardian of the steward." Finduilas says.

Denethor knows that there is nothing he can say against that. Of that he is certain.


	9. Chapter 9

The next day the prince’s household is in an uproar for everyone is busy preparing for the trip. Servants are packing food and other essentials the travelers will need. Guards are checking their weapons as well as packing clothes and other things they will need which will not be provided by the servants. The stable master is checking the horses, who will be taken on the trip, over while some the stable hands are checking the tack of each horse. Other stable hands are checking the cart and it equipment over. This cart will be used to transport stuff which the horses cannot carry.

Inside the house, both families are packing the belongings which they will take with them. Faramir is busy with packing the scrolls he needs. He knows that he cannot afford to even leave one important scroll behind for these scrolls contain the treaty as well as his notes in it. By taking them with him he can give Aragorn his well-formulated opinion on the treaty. If he does not take them with him then it will lead to problems should the scroll be needed. Each scroll he decides to take with him he stores in the trunk the servants had brought in during the early hours. The trunk will be placed among everything else that will be taken with them on the trip.

Once he has finished this Faramir walks to his room to inspect his weapons. He does not need to inspect his metal armor for he will be traveling lightly. The only armor he will use is his leather one. This one is light and easy to move around in comparison to his metal one. These are the only things he needs to do himself because Éowyn is more than capable to ensure that everything else is packed. Among these things are their clothing and ceremonial paraphernalia. These paraphernalia he will need during the official meetings that are to come. Faramir considers checking in the children’s progress and helping them if they need it once he is done with the things he needs to do. But before deciding whether or not he will do it he will ask Éowyn for her opinion on that.

Thus twenty minutes later, after Faramir has checked his weapons and leather armor, he approached Éowyn to ask if he should go check in their children.

“Éowyn, shall I go check on the children’s packing progress?”

“Elboron and Arthoron do not need you to check on them. I asked the nurse to pack everything they will need. You might check to see how far Leofdæg and Ceolwyn are. They are old enough that they should pack their own bags for a trip. If they need help you are free to give it to them.”

Éowyn does not look up while saying these words. It surprises him for he did not know that she has been so busy with packing to not look at him when she talks. When she does look up it is with an annoyed look on her face. Then he knows that it is time for him to leave. He smiles at her to calm her down.

“Then I will leave you to your packing while I go see how far Leofdæg and Ceolwyn are with theirs.”

Faramir quietly leaving the room without looking back at his wife. It is no use for him to stay around while Éowyn is so stressed. Staying would have meant invoking her wrath. Something he does not like doing. Depending on how annoyed she is she might scream at someone sooner or later. From her words, he did get the impression that she believes that Leofdæg and Ceolwyn do not need his aide. If her belief is true he will know soon enough.

A few minutes later, Faramir knocks on Leofdæg‘s door. They had decided early on to not enter their children’s rooms unless there is an emergency. That way they will have somewhere to retreat to when they want to be alone. Faramir and Éowyn both know from experience what it is like to have barely any privacy. They would like to spare them that fate hence their decision to not enter their children’s room without permission. Faramir and Éowyn both appreciated the rooms they had then to retreat to when they wanted to be alone. Even though their parents did not follow this rule.

“Come in.”

At hearing these words Faramir pulls himself from our thoughts and enters the room. Inside he discovers absolute chaos. Clothes are thrown in the floor. Closets and drawers are open. An occasional drawer litters the floor. Among the clothes paper and books lie. All in all, it shows how chaotic Leofdæg has been packing his bags. Speaking of bags, Faramir looks around the room to see where Leofdæg has placed his bags. After some time looking around the room he finally located them on Leofdæg’s desk. One thing he knows for certain and that is that Loefdæg will be bringing his room back in order. No servant will be doing that. When Faramir hears someone clearing their throat he focuses his attention back on Leofdæg. As he does so Faramir sees that Leofdæg is looking at him questionable. As if he is confused about something.

“Is there something, father.”

“I came to see how far you are with packing your bags. But apparently, you have not gotten far considering the state of the room.”

At this Leofdæg scratches his head while looking guilty at his feet. All in all, he gives off the impression of someone who is guilty about something.

“Sorry, father. I will ensure that everything I want to take with me is packed before we leave.”

This reaction tells Faramir that something is bothering Leofdæg. He hopes to be able to learn what it is before he goes to check on Ceolwyn.

“That reassures me, Leofdæg. But I would like for you to remember that you will have to have your room back in order by then. I will not have our servants do that for you.”

Faramir can see the dread in Loefdæg’s eyes. He can imagine that it comes from not knowing how to get both tasks done. As he has taken pity on his son Faramir decides to inform him that he will be aiding him.

“Do you want me to help you?”

“Yes, please father. I do not know how I am to get everything done otherwise.”

Smiling reassuringly Faramir nods and decides to bring some order back into the chaos. He intends to do this by putting the drawers which lie on the ground back into place. As he is doing this two pairs of hands starts to help him. It does not surprise him to see that it is Leofdæg who is helping him for there is no one else in the room. Ow that Leofdæg is helping him he knows that they will have his room back in order in no time. But it means that packing Leofdæg’s bags will take some time. To ensure that they get everything done quickly Faramir decides to give Leofdæg a task to do. At the same time, Faramir hopes to be able to learn what is bothering Leofdæg.

“Leofdæg, why do you not start with placing all the clothes you intend to take with you on your bed. While you are doing that you can also place anything else you want to take with you on your bed. While you are doing that why do you not tell me what is troubling you.”

“Of course, father. As for what is troubling me, nothing. Everything is perfectly fine.”

Faramir frowns because he does not believe Leofdæg’s statement at all. It actually confirms his belief that something is bothering Leofdæg. Now he only needs to find out what it is and see what he can do about it.

“Leofdæg, you know that you can tell me anything, do you not?”

“I do, father. But why are do you tell me that. There is nothing which is bothering me. So do not worry, father.”

As Faramir is done with the drawers and picking up the papers and books he can clearly see Leofdæg playing with the hem of his tunic. Is Leofdæg also did that, Faramir does not know. No matter how much he wants to know. It tells him that he needs to take a different approach if he is to find out what is bothering Leofdæg.

Faramir places the papers and books he has in his hand on the desk before sitting down on Leofdæg’s bed. Hopefully this way he will find out what is bothering Leofdæg.

“Come sit next to me.”

Faramir pats the bed next to him in an attempt to get Leofdæg to sit down next to him. He is pleased to see how quickly Leofdæg sits down next to him. It is a promising sign. Before speaking Faramir takes Leofdæg’s hands in his. He does this in an attempt to reassure Leofdæg and get him to talk.

“What is troubling you, Leofdæg. You know that whatever it is, I will not be angry with you. Nor will your mother.”

Leofdæg’s face shows clearly his reluctance to speak. He intensively looks at his trousers, wrings his hands in his trousers and bites his lips. Faramir worries that Leofdæg will not speak up considering his behavior. He knows that I will make helping him more difficult than he believes it should be.

“Will uncle Éomer be pleased with my fighting and riding skills? I do not want to disappoint him knowing that in a few years I will be returning to Rohan to finish my training and take up my duties as grandfather’s heir.”

“I doubt you will be able to disappoint him, Leofdæg. You need to train more which your uncle understands. I am sure that he will help you with things he believes you need to improve if you let him. Do not worry so much, ion nin.”

Faramir pulls Leofdæg in a hug while making soothing circles on his back. Once, Faramir pulls back from the hug he smiles while looking Leofdæg in the eyes and strokes his cheek soothingly. Once Leofdæg has calmed down a bit Faramir speak again.

“Besides, you can always go to aunt Lothíriel for aide if you need it. We both know that she can get through to your uncle where others are unable to.”

The laugh he receives in answers tells Faramir that he has succeeded in reassuring Leofdæg as well as lifting his spirit a bit. Faramir hopes that he has also managed to take Leofdæg’s burden away from him.

“That is true. No matter how stubborn uncle Éomer is aunt Lothíriel can always get him to listen to her. Even when he does not want to listen to her. But are you sure that he will not be disappointed by my skills?”

“Yes, I am sure of that.”

Leofdæg nods which Faramir interpreters as him understanding that he does not need to worry. It eases his mind that he managed to reassure Leofdæg so quickly.

Faramir and Leofdæg sit in silence for a short while before Leofdæg stands up and goes back to packing. Faramir is quick to assist him with it.

Ten minutes later the room is neat once more and everything Leofdæg intends to take with him lies in his bed. It only needs to be packed in bags now. Faramir is certain that Leofdæg can do that on his own for he needs to check in on Ceolwyn. Afterward, he wants to check with the guards, who will be accompanying them, that they have everything prepared. Faramir knows that he does not need to check on the horses for that is something Éowyn insists on doing herself. Something which she does better than himself.

Thus a few minutes later, Faramir knocks on Ceolwyn’s door and patiently waits for an answer. Once he receives an answer Faramir enter the room. Inside he finds a neat room with packed bags standing next to Ceolwyn’s desk. One of the bags is open and Ceolwyn sits on the bed reading a book. Or at least was before he interrupted her. Faramir has the impression that she wants to take the book, she was just reading, with her and thus left one bag open. It is to serve as a reminder for her to put the book into it.

“Father is everything alright.”

Faramir is pulled from his thoughts as he hears this. He is amused by the fact that Ceolwyn sees the need to inquire him if he is alright. It is not something a child should do. An adult alright but not a child. One thing he gets confirmed through this is that she will be a good mother when she is older. Faramir decides to answer Ceolwyn before she really gets worried about him.

“Yes Ceolwyn, everything is alright. I only came to check on you to see how far you are with packing. And if you need any aide.”

Faramir smiles at the last part for he is certain it is based on what he saw that she does not need any help. Not that he thought she might need it for she is more organized than her brother is.

“As I am sure you saw, I do have nearly everything packed. I only need to pack a few more thing because I need still need them. That is why I do not need your aide, father. But thank you for the offer. I appreciate it. But having said that I imagine that Leofdæg will need aide. So you might as well go check on him. With his chaotic nature, I am sure that his room is a mess and that he has not packed anything yet.”

Faramir is not surprised by this reaction from Ceolwyn. In fact, he had expected it based on past experiences. She is always annoyed by her brother's chaotic nature and never lets an opportunity to berate her brother go by. The same goes for expressing or showing her annoyance. Faramir knows that she will get all riled up is she is not calmed down. That is the reason why he smiles calmly at Ceolwyn. He hopes that she will calm down and let her annoyance. It will make lunch much easier than when she is still irritated. Faramir knows that Ceolwyn will understand that he understands her and is trying to calm her down.

“Oh, thank you for your suggestion, Ceolwyn but it is unnecessary for me to check in on Leofdæg. I already checked in on him and also aided him before coming to you. His room is once more in order after it was complete chaos when I got there. Leofdæg only needs to pack his bags. I felt that it is something which he should be able to do in his own. If he does not do that then he will not have much clothing to wear in Minas Tirith for I refuse to have anyone pack his personal belongings for him. He is old enough to carry that responsibility. I am sure that your mother and you will agree with me that Leofdæg needs to start doing things on his own. We cannot help him during his entire life.”

Faramir knows that he said all this in another attempt to calm her down. He knows that it is quite accusing to Leofdæg what he just said. But what he just said it hat which the entire family feels and has been thinking about. Faramir can tell that he has succeeded by her laugh.

“That is certainly true, father. But you also know that Leofdæg tries to do things in his own way. He simply is not good at planning and organizing. Nor does he like to do things when he thinks there are easier ways to do them. Father, I will continue to read this book until it is nearly lunchtime. Then I will pack it with my other things and deliver them to the servants. Uhm, Father? Where do I need to deliver it?”

Faramir is happy to know that she has fully calmed down. He is also not surprised to hear that she attempts to pacify him. She has always been protective of her brother. As for her continuing reading that does not surprise him at all. Ceolwyn’s question shows him that she has not asked anyone where the bags and chests they will take with them will be collected. But she has been thinking about it. Faramir knows that if he has not come to her then she would have searched someone out to ask them. He decides to answer her and then leave to check in on his guests.

“You should deliver it to the entrance hall. There everything we take with us will be collected.”

Faramir made this decision to tell Ceolwyn this for two reasons. The first is that Ceolwyn wants to read and Faramir does not intend to keep her from it longer than is absolutely necessary. The second reason is that Faramir wants to see if his guests have everything sorted out. Not that he thinks they have not done so for they have but little to pack. Only some loaned clothing and the belongings they had with them when he found them. He imagines that they have everything already packed.

“Thank you, father, for telling me. I will carry it to the entrance hall before joining everyone in the dining room for lunch.”

“Your welcome, Iel nin. Please ensure that your bags get there. I will leave you to your reading.”

Ceolwyn nods before turning her attention back to her book. Faramir knows that he does not need to say any more for she will not hear him. As such he quietly leaves the room and heads towards the rooms his guests reside in. It is a quiet walk where he is able to consider the treaty once more. As well as his arguments for improving the wording of some. It will ensure that both parties know what they can and cannot do. He wants to have everything well sorted out so that he can give Aragorn the best advice possible.

“Your Highness!”

Faramir looks up when he hears Boromir calling him. He sees Boromir running towards him. Faramir has to smile for he can imagine what his father would say were he to see this. Running in the house was forbidden. Running in the house of their host would be severely punished besides being forbidden. He always has to walk calmly. Not that it stopped him or Boromir from running. So long as no one saw that is. The punishments for running in a house always excites out off less time to play and more lessons. Or less time to play and being forced to assist his father with his duties as steward. This Faramir knows due to his own experiences.

Once Boromir reaches him Faramir sees Boromir looking expectedly at him. Boromir gives of an energetic feeling. As is he wants to jump around but restrains himself. Faramir smiles calmly to put Boromir at ease.

“Yes, Boromir. What can I do for you?”

“Would you be able to tell me where our packs should be placed?”

Faramir smiles amused by Boromir’s enthusiastic sound.

“I would be able to do that. But before I tell you that I need to have one question answered.”

“Yes, your highness. What is my that you want to ask me?”

The frown and thoughtful look are just like how he remembers Boromir looking when he is trying to figure something out. Faramir nearly has to laugh when he sees Boromir beginning to pout. He imagines that Boromir is a bit impatient about getting an answer. He manages to restrain himself for he does not want to upset Boromir nor embarrass himself. Now he only needs to find out if Boromir came in his own violation or if his parents asked him to inquire about it.

“Did your parents ask you to inquire about it?  _Or_  did you decide to inquire on your own?”

“I decided to do it on my own, prince. Ada and nana do not know about it. But I know that they have been wondering and intend to ask later. At least I heard them say so. That is why I thought it a good idea to go ask someone on my own. Also, I was in the way because I cannot help my parents pack. But now I am making myself useful. ”

“Well, you should have told your parents where you are going. They will now surely be worried for you, Boromir. As for making yourself useful, that is something which you should not worry about. You could have simply played somewhere. But back to your question, I gave instructions to the servants to collect everything in the entrance hall. So long as you have your parents bring their bags there marked. The servants know they are to pack the belonging of each person on their horse so long as is possible. It will only work if the servants know which markings belong to your parents.”

During his explanation, Faramir could see how attentive Boromir has been listening. It does not surprise him for Boromir will know that he needs to know what he is telling him in order to answer his parent's question.

“Thank you for informing me, your highness. I, uhm, I ... appreciate it.”

“Your welcome, Boromir.”

Faramir smiles calmly at Boromir as he says this. He could hear the hesitation in Boromir’s voice as he said the last part. It does not surprise him for Boromir used a difficult word for his age. As such he would have to focus on saying the word correctly which explains the hesitation he heard from Boromir. Then Faramir holds his hand out to Boromir with the silent request to take it. Boromir is quick to pick up his request and follow it.

“Let us walk back to your room then. Your parents will surely be worried as they do not know where you are. Do you not know that you need to inform your parents where you are going before you leave?”

Faramir raises his eyebrow while looking Boromir in the eye. Boromir is only able to maintain eye contact for a short while. He then lowers his eyes if the ground while bowing his head. Boromir sighs and his shoulders sink a little. This tells Faramir that Boromir knows that he did something wrong and is feeling guilty. It would not surprise him where Boromir to also know what exactly he did wrong. At least that is his experience with this kind of reaction from a child. During this, they continue to make their way to the guest rooms.

Not long afterward they reach their destination. There Faramir can hear Denethor and Finduilas frantically searching for Boromir. He hears them calling out Boromir’s name while running around the room. Or at least that is what he believes to hear them do. Looking at Boromir Faramir can see he has noticed the same thing as before. Boromir face is flushed. Most likely because he will get a scolding later. Faramir smiles calmly at Boromir in an attempt to calm him down. And because he can emphasize with Boromir. Then Faramir opens the door and they enter quietly. He lets go of Boromir’s hand once they are inside and turns around to close the door behind them. Just as he has done so Faramir notices that Finduilas is hugging Boromir tightly. Denethor is standing not far behind his wife and son. Faramir sees how his lips tin out while he frowning at his son. This expression Faramir remembers clearly. It is the one his father always wears when he is angry and ready to explode. He barely manages to stop from flinching when he sees this.

“Your Highness, where did you find Boromir?”

At Finduilas voice he turns to her. She is smiling relieved at him. When she looks back at Boromir with a quick glance she also frowns. Faramir believes that her frowning stems from not understanding where Boromir was and trying to figure it out. It makes him smile affectively before he answering.

“I found him near my family’s private rooms. He was looking for me to learn where your packs should be placed. I explained it to him but not without scolding him for leaving on his own and without informing you. I then decided to personally return him to you.”

“Thank you, your highness. You did not need to do this.”

These words make Faramir smile because it is true what Finduilas said. He could have easily had a servant bringing Boromir back. It would have actually been the normal thing to do. Well, normal for others but not for him. Faramir prefers to do these things himself. He does not like to give the servants more work to do when he can easily do it himself. Well, for as far as is acceptable to do so. He knows that he has to keep his image up. As well as keeping his servants happy. They would protest where he to take work from them.

“It was no problem. I will leave you alone now so that Boromir can tell you what I told him. I assume you know that lunch is in thirty minutes?”

“Of course, your highness. We will see you soon.”

Faramir smiles and quietly leaves the room. He knows that he has thirty minutes at his disposal just as he told his parents. Thus he decides to go check on Éowyn to see how far she is. Hopefully, she has something for him to do. As turns out, she has him finish their packing while she goes to check on the horses. It takes him around ten minutes finish packing and to deliver the packs to the entrance hall. There he can see the packs from his parents standing there already. Afterward, he goes seeks out Beregond to see if he has everything under control. Not that he thinks Beregond has not yet planned and arranged everything completely this morning. This belief is confirmed once he meets with Beregond.

* * *

Thirty minutes after Faramir left his parent and Boromir in their guest rooms, everyone sits into the dining room eating their lunch in silence. Faramir can see Denethor looking thoughtfully and has some ideas about what is worrying him. One of them will be the king and another will be the people of Gondor. Also, he will most likely be wondering what Minas Tirith will look like once they reach it. Faramir does not know if his father is also wondering about the upcoming journey so decides to take this potential worry from his regardless. He has to admit that he has additional reasons for doing so. One is the fact that they should not be recognized by anyone knowing them. Not until he and Aragorn can work out a reasonable explanation for their presence. To ensure that they are not recognized Faramir intends to ask them to do the same thing as when they entered the city. But just as he intends to begin informing everyone Denethor speaks up.

“Your Highness, what path will we take to Minas Tirith?”

The thoughtful look on Denethor’s face tells him that his father has been considering their upcoming trip. He has most likely worked a few potential travel plans. As well as all other preparations required to be assured of safe travel. Knowing his father’s character Faramir knows that he needs to inform him of his plans. That way his father will not begin to press his own plan on them. Anything else on his mind will be approached once Denethor addresses it.

“We will be traveling toward Osgiliath first. There we will allow our horses to rest. As well as taking some rest ourselves. Tomorrow morning we will travel from Osgiliath to Minas Tirith. This travel plan will be possible so long as we do not linger today after leaving. I am sure that you know that we will have more privacy to talk once we have entered the Rammas Echor.”

Faramir pauses for a short to give everyone the opportunity to progress what he just said. He can that Denethor and Finduilas understand what he said about the privacy to talk once though the Rammas Echor. At the same time, he can see that something is troubling Denethor based on his facial expression. Faramir decides to not mention his observation for he intends to allow Denethor to inform him about it on his own. Luckily, he does not have to wait too long before Denethor does so.

“That is an acceptable travel plan, Your Highness. But what about the guard detail that will be traveling with us?”

So that is what is troubling Denethor. He wants to be sure that traveling will be safe for all involved. It is not really surprising considering the safety to travel through Ithilien in his parents time. In their time one would only travel through Ithilien with a large company. Unfortunately, Faramir does not intend to travel with a large company of guards. He intends to take fifteen guards with them as that is already at the upper limit of what is acceptable in this time. He knows that he needs to inform his father about it which he does.

“A detail of fifteen guards will be traveling with us. More will not be needed for we both can defend ourselves and our families. Also, Éowyn and Leofdæg are able to defend themselves and as well as others. As such we will be with more than enough people to defend ourselves.”

At the confused look, he receives from Denethor Faramir decides to clarify everything. Hopefully, that will take solve the confusion.

“Ithilien is safe enough that taking more guards with us will not be necessary. I know that you are used to traveling with more guards but here it is safe enough that we do not need a large company. Besides, I will only get confused looks once we reach Minas Tirith. As well as worried inquiries which are not fiddling. As such it is unacceptable for us to take more guards with us.”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

Faramir can hear the reluctance in Denethor’s voice as he says this. At the same time as Denethor speaks he bows his head slightly. This allows him to hide his facial expression from everyone. Faramir is thus unable to determine what Denethor’s real thoughts are about it. He has a feeling that Denethor is not happy with his decision but decided not to fight him on it. Most likely so as to not offend him. Or to avoid giving the impression that Denethor fights his authority. Now that this matter has been resolved as much as is possible, Faramir is aware that he now has only one matter left which he needs to discuss. Then it will be time for them to leave Emyn Arnen. They will be able to leave on time of the upcoming discussion does not take too long.

“Denethor, I would appreciate it where you and your family to cloak yourself once more. I ask you to do that for the same reason as when we arrived in Emyn Arnen.”

Faramir makes certain that he says all this in a voice that tells everyone that it is an order and not a request. No matter how he worded it. Looking at Denethor Faramir can see that he is about to fight him on it. Or at least protest against it. But just as Denethor is about to start a hand on his arm stops him. Faramir follows Denethor as he turns to Finduilas. He can see how Finduilas shakes her head. It seems as if she wants to tell Denethor not to fight him and to simply accept it. Luckily, Denethor follows her request.

“Of course, Your Highness. We will follow your request even though I do not like hiding behind a cloak. I would prefer for us to show our faces and deal with any consequences that might occur.”

“That would be a way for us to do it. But considering certain things which I know about, it will not be a good idea to do as you prefer. I thank you for following my request even though you would like to do things differently.”

Faramir then stands up and leaves the room. As he walks out of the dining room he has to silently smile for he knows that Denethor protested in a way that is acceptable to do. He knows that for he has done so often in the past. Both to Denethor and to Aragorn with resulted in him receiving a different reaction. This way of protesting is a way to address one's displeasure openly while not offending the other and at the same time still accepting what was said. Faramir decided to accept the protesting before thanking Denethor. This to give Denethor the impression that he listened to his protests. That Denethor and his family are dead in this time except for himself as well as the animosity that existed between Denethor and Aragorn Faramir decided not to address. He did it for they do not have the time for a discussion if they want to reach Minas Tirith tomorrow. The discussion would have been likely to have occurred had he addressed one or both of the subjects. As such Faramir believes his decision to be the right one. Unfortunately, he has been unable to observe Denethor’s reaction to his words because he left the room so quickly after speaking.

* * *

Twenty minutes later both families have mounted their horses and are riding out of the city. The adults are riding their own horses while Boromir, Rohirril, and Rocwen ride with their parents. Arthoron is riding with his nurse. Elboron is riding on a pony with Éowyn on his left side. Leofdæg is riding on Elboron’s right side on his own horse. Ceolwyn rides her own horse on the other side of Éowyn. Thus his whole family is riding together. Finduilas rides next to Ceolwyn.

Faramir has to smile at this sight. It clearly shows how close everyone is to each other. Also, Elboron shows how well he will be able to ride when he is older. Additionally, he would not have been allowed to ride his horse was he not as skilled as he is. This skill Faramir believes comes from Éowyn’s Rohirrim blood for he himself could ride as well as Elboron when he was his son’s age.

Faramir could only see this when he turned around for he rides in front of them. At that time he could also see that Denethor rides next to him. And that the guards are riding among the group in such a way that they can cover everyone should they be attacked. Not that Faramir thinks they will be. Beregond rides on the opposite side of him. That Faramir could see when he looked for him. Looking back Faramir can see the carriages coming up behind his family. These carry the things the horses cannot carry as well as the chests that were packed. They are also covered by guards but not so extensively as the group of riders is.

Faramir looks down to where Rocwen is sitting before him in the saddle. She is sitting strapped to his saddle in such a way that she will not be able to fall but at the same time he will be able to quickly transfer her to someone else should they there be a need for that. He can see that she is looking at their environment intensively. It is amusing to see for she is still so young that she will not remember much of this trip when she is older. Still, he is happy that she is keeping herself entertained or else it would be an uncomfortable ride. She would then be fussy and demanding his attention for the entire ride.

Faramir is happy to note that they are making a good pace. It means that they will cover plenty of ground today. He has his hopes up that they will reach Osgiliath early in the evening. If they do than the children will have some time left to play as well as allowing the adults to rest sufficiently.

During the trip, Faramir calls for a short break from time to time. He does this so that the horses can recover their strength a bit. Otherwise, they would be too exhausted for the traveling they have to do tomorrow even with the rest they will get once they reach Osgiliath. Another reason for this is that the breaks allow everyone to stretch their legs and for the children to lose some of their pent up energy. It will ensure that sore muscles will be kept at a minimum.

Faramir enjoys the traveling so much that he is not aware that they are approaching Osgiliath. His unawareness stems from his enjoyment of the discussions he has with Denethor. These discussions are about the way he rules Ithilien as well as how he raises his children. That he treats the children of his wife’s first marriage as his own gains him compliments. Faramir only becomes aware of their approach of Osgiliath when a group of guards rides out to meet them. Their sight is a relief for him because it means that they soon will have the opportunity to rest. It is an even greater relief when he sees the time. It shows that they arrived earlier than he expected. This will mean that the children will have a bit of time left to play before they have to go to bed.

It is then that he takes a look at Denethor. What he sees is that Denethor seems fully aware of their approach to Osgiliath. It confuses him because he expected Denethor to inform him of their approach to Osgiliath. The surprised look on Denethor’s face tells him the reason. Denethor is surprised to see Osgiliath undergoing reconstruction for he only knows destroyed and abandoned Osgiliath. Faramir feels for him because it will surely be a surreal sight for him.

The reconstruction that can be seen has been ordered by Aragorn to inform everyone about the recovery of Gondor from the war and absence of its king. That it gives people work is an added benefit which everyone appreciates. Faramir is reminded by these thoughts of the discussion there was in the council about potentially moving the capital. Most lords thought that the ordering of the reconstruction was a sign that the capital would be moved back to Osgiliath. It resulted in Aragorn having to explain to the council that he intends to keep Minas Tirith as the capital and that he meant it as a sign of recovery of Gondor visible for all to see. This news eased a most of the lords for Faramir knew at that time that they were worried about how to move their household from Minas Tirith to the Osgiliath. Aragorn’s news ensured that they would not have to worry about it any longer.

“Your Highness, we have been sent to guide you to the inn where you can stay with your guests for the night.”

“Of course, lieutenant. We will follow you.”

The young lieutenant nods before he turns his horse around and rides back to Osgiliath. Faramir smiles amused as he and his group follow the lieutenants and the other riders. This amusement stems from the fact that he could see that the lieutenant was nervous. The nervousness is most likely the result of his first time interacting with nobility. That is sure to make one nervous. The lieutenant also gave off the feeling of being quite eager to assist which he showed by speaking up so quickly that he did not have the time to greet him. The lieutenant most likely did not greet him as he should have because if the cloaked people he saw. For that Faramir is graceful because explaining his name would have been a difficult thing.

The assumption that they will only stay for the night is completely logical as there is little to do for them. Only the inn and a few other essential buildings have been taken into use. Among those are houses where the builders and craftsmen sleep, foot storage and a kitchen. All the other buildings will be taken into use once they are rebuilt. As such the only people who travel to Osgiliath are those who are on their way to somewhere else. Thus they will only stay for one night in Osgiliath.

Soon everyone enters the city and Faramir can see that the reconstruction is well on its way. It pleases him for he is certain that if the current pace is kept up people can move into the city in approximately six months. He tells himself to inform Aragorn about it who he knows will also be pleased with the news. After entering the city it does not take long for them to cross the Anduin. Faramir knows that now it will not be long before they reach the inn.

Minutes later, he sees the inn appearing. He smiles because now they can finally take more rest than short breaks give them. Also, the children will be able to play so that they will be tired enough tonight that they will sleep tightly. It will ensure that the parents also can rest well during the night.

Once the group reaches the inn everyone is quick to dismount and help the children down. When the stable hands show up not long afterward they are quickly given the reigns of the horses after all the packs have been taken from the horses. The guards are splitting up in two groups. The first will stay at the inn while the other will rest in the barracks. Faramir looks around the groups and decides to head into the inn after making sure that Beregond has everything well in hand. Just as Faramir want to enter the inn a voice stops him in his tracks.

“Your Highness, can we aid you in any way?”

Faramir smiles amused for this just confirms his earlier belief that he is eager to assist. Only now he drags the men under his command into it. This conclusion he makes based on the eagerness he hears in the lieutenant’s voice. Faramir knows that he needs to send them back to their barracks for he does not require any aid. He straightens his face before turning around and facing the lieutenant. He did this for he knows that smiling will not aid him in securing his objective. In fact, it will most likely hamper him.

When Faramir looks at the lieutenant he can see him looking expectedly at him. At the same time, he can see the other men are looking nervously around them. These men give Faramir the impression that they want to be anywhere than here. It appears that they have been in similar situations before and fear for what reaction will receive. Well, now it also becomes important that they are reassured that they are not in trouble while the lieutenant understands that he should not ask these questions again without reason. Additionally, he will need to inform the captain about this situation. That way the captain knows that he needs to keep an eye on the lieutenant. Faramir thus considers when he should do this. He could seek out the captain now or inform him later. Now, will ensure that the captain will keep an eye on the lieutenant while later will allow the lieutenant to learn from the words he intends to tell him. In the end, Faramir decides to inform the captain later as the current troops will return to Minas Tirith at the end of the week before receiving their well-deserved leave. As such the lieutenant will not bother too many people after he leaves.

Looking back at the lieutenant Faramir sees that he is looking ready to act. In fact, his body seems ready to move by the way his legs and arms move. This is the sign for Faramir to immediately inform the lieutenant of the answer to his words. He cannot delay anymore or else the lieutenant will aid him and be in the way of others.

“No, lieutenant, your aid is not required. Thank you for the offer but we can manage on our own. If we would have had a need for aid then we would have informed you about it ourselves. Others will do the same when they are in a similar position.”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

Faramir can clearly hear the disappointment in the lieutenant's voice. His posture enhances it completely. Faramir smiles at the group before turning around and entering the inn. He knows that the lieutenant will have nothing else to do than return to the barracks.

As Faramir enters the inn he gives his packs to his esquire who he sees waiting for him. He knows his esquire will place it in his room so he decides to determine where his family is sitting. They must still be in this room as he knows that they will wait with dinner for him to arrive. That is why he takes a look at the room after giving his packs away.

It does not take him long to locate his family. They sit at a table with dinner already laid out before them. Denethor, Finduilas and Boromir sit close to them while one place in between Éowyn and Leofdæg has been left free. It shows that they have been waiting for him to join them before they will start on their dinner. Just as he has expected them to do. When he looks at his children Faramir can see them looking expectedly. It tells him that they do not want to wait with eating dinner any longer. They want to start right now. As such Faramir smiles reassuringly at them. He is quick to join them at the table for he knows how hungry they must be considering his own hunger.

Dinner is a lively affair for the children to discuss what they will do after dinner. At the same time, the adults are deep in their thoughts. They are all considering the current situation once more. Denethor is also considering what he might see once they reach Minas Tirith. He has not been able to see much from the city today as it is already too dark. The only thing he could see was the soft sparkling of the stones and the lights in the buildings. It gave him the impression that the city is not different from what he remembers. Still, he knows that it does not give him any reassurance for there are many things that he will not be able to see if it is dark.

Faramir is considering how he will explain the situation to Aragorn. He needs to explain it right to avoid confusing his lord as well as avoiding upsetting him. He considers it right now once more even though he has done so multiple times in the past few days. The reason for it is that he wants to have his explanation straightened out. That way he will limit the possibility of confusing his lord. For if he does confuse his lord or upsets him then it might impact the chances for his parents return to their own time. Faramir believes that they need to return so as to preserve the timeline. Or at least impact it as little as possible. Returning his parent of their own time is something which he cannot do on his own. Of that Faramir is certain. And thus he needs his lord’s aid.

One hour later, Faramir and Denethor are discussing some historical matter while Finduilas and Éowyn look at each other. It is noticed by Faramir who knows full well what they want to tell each other considering the time. It tells him that the children need to go to bed as soon as possible. They are already up longer than is normally the case. Should they not go to bed soon then they will be causing trouble during tomorrow’s ride. Something which Faramir knows from experience.

The thought of getting the children into bed has Faramir sympathizing with Éowyn and Finduilas. He knows how difficult it is to get the children into bed when they are deeply involved in a game. He has seen as such in the past. It was at those times difficult for him to stay his laughter. The protesting Éowyn or a nurse received was immensely amusing. As for the children being deeply involved in a game, they have not noticed anything since they started the game after dinner.

Faramir sees the ladies standing up and walking to the children when he sneaks a look at them and the children. After some short words, the game is ended and cleaned away. Then the children follow the ladies as they walk to their rooms. While walking Faramir manages to catch a glimpse of irritated looks on the children’s faces. He hears how they stomp on the floor which has him smiling a bit. This clearly corresponds with their irritated looks. They do not like it that their game has been ended before they were done. They wanted to continue playing. For their current actions, Faramir knows that they will later receive a reprimand. Most likely before having to ready themselves for bed.

When Faramir looks back at Denethor he sees that he is looking out of the window. This means that Denethor has not noticed his smiling for which Faramir is grateful. He would not have liked to have to explain the reason for his smiling to Denethor. He would find it slightly embarrassing. It does not take long for them to resume their discussion. Éowyn and Finduilas join them again once the children are in their bed. That is when they resume their embroidering. This is how they spend the next few hours before going to bed themselves.

* * *

The next morning, Faramir leaves Osgiliath in the early morning with his family, Denethor, Finduilas, their children and the guards. Before leaving the all ate a quick breakfast and placed their packs on their horses once more. No one had to saddle their horse as that was done by the stable hands. Before leaving Eowyn checked all the saddles together with the Rohirrim among their guards.

The current ride is a comfortable one which everyone spends in silence except for the children. They are discussing everything they want to do in the city with each other. Faramir is not surprised to note that Elboron makes certain that they will involve Eldarion in their activities. Faramir stays silent so as to enjoy the ride back to the city. It relaxing for him as only in the past few years he has been able to calmly ride to Minas Tirith. Before he always had to pay close attention to the environment so as not to be ambushed. No matter how well they protected their borders, small groups always managed to cross it. That could only happen for it is impossible for them to be present at the entire border at all time. The threat of brigands added to the danger of traveling. More so for peasants than the nobles. They always had guards accompanying them. Only large groups dared to attack nobles. They were nearly always bested with little casualties.

A few hours into the ride, Faramir sees Minas Tirith coming up on the horizon. A short while later, they are close enough that the banner that flies over the city can be identified as belonging to the king. This makes Faramir turn to Denethor to see if he has noticed the same thing as himself. When he looks at Denethor’s face, his shock is clearly visible for him to see. This tells him that Denethor has seen the same thing as him. The reality of the situation clearly sinks in now for Denethor. 


	10. Chapter 10

A short while later, the group passes through the Rammas Echor. Then it takes them about an hour to actually approach the great gate. As they approach the gate, Faramir sees and hears the gate opening. Behind the gate, he can see the hustle of people moving about. There are but a few people about based on what he can hear. This is not really surprising for him as it is still early in the morning.

When Faramir looks at the wall, he sees that the market is being erected. The merchants are all busily walking around to ready their stand for today's market. Faramir knows that they want to sell as much as they can. To do that they need to have their stand fully prepared once the market starts. This also tells Faramir that they have plenty of time to spare to reach the citadel and prepare themselves for today court. It reminds him that he needs to inform them about the fact that he wants them to attend court today. Something which they will appreciate Faramir imagines.

Once they enter the city, Faramir looks once more at Denethor. He tries to determine if it is the right time to inform them but decides against it based on Denethor's expression. Denethor has a neutral expression on his face. But the small frown and squishing of Denethor's eyes tell him that the neutral expression is not all there is. This way of looking, Faramir remembers quite clearly. He has seen it often in the past. Thus Faramir knows that it means that a lot goes through Denethor's mind and that the expression is Denethor's way of trying to hide his thoughts. Denethor also intends to keep others away from him with this expression. Away so long as it takes him to work that out which is bothering him. Unfortunately for Denethor, this plan backfires because Faramir knows him so well that he sees right through it.

When he looks at Finduilas, Faramir sees that she has also seen it just as Éowyn has. She smiles at him calmly. It is her way of telling him to let things be for the time being.

As for the things Denethor is thinking about, Faramir knows that Denethor is looking carefully at the changes in the city. He does this to try and work out how things stand right now and what kind of king sits on the throne. The state of the city, the way the people move around and how the people are dressed always tell you what kind of ruler there is. Faramir knows that Denethor will see the most changes in the lower levels of the city. They had to be rebuilt after the war as they were almost completely destroyed. As such the changes will be there. Also, the trees in the city will be more than he remembers. This will hopefully tell him that a kind and just king currently rules.

Just when Faramir wants to address Denethor they arrive at the sixth level. As such Faramir decides to refrain from addressing Denethor for a while. There are too many gossipers on this level at any given time of the day. As he wants to keep the knowledge of his guests' identity a need to know information he cannot make any mention of it here. Also, he does not want to have Aragorn learn about their presence through gossip. That is how he justifies his current silence.

A few minutes later, the group reaches the stables and they are approached by stable hands. This is the sign for everyone to stop and dismount. Everyone quickly does so and the stable hands then take horses into the stable.

Afterward, everyone starts walking to the citadel. It was decided during the travel that they will let their packs be brought to their room by the citadel servants. Faramir's esquire stayed behind to ensure that the packs of Denethor and his family will be delivered to their room. As for the packs of his entourage, Faramir is certain that they will be delivered to the correct room. This process will not be strange for Denethor and Finduilas because it has been done this way since the time of Faramir's grandfather. They will have gone through it when they left Minas Tirith in their own time. Of that Faramir is certain.

"Your Highness, where are your guards? I did not see them following us into the city."

This makes Faramir turn to look at Boromir for Boromir asked this question. He sees that Boromir is looking questionable at him with a confused look in his eyes. Boromir's question serves to remind him about the fact that since entering the city they were no longer accompanied by his guards from the white company. Citadel guards will have taken over their duty until reaching the sixth level. Faramir has become so used to this that he no longer notices it. The same goes for Éowyn. As for his children, for them, it is quite normal that the white company does not accompany them into the city. It is good to know that others have noticed it. This is why he decides to give Boromir an answer which he will understand.

"My guards do not enter the city if it is not required of them. They do this out of solidarity with their captain. He is not allowed entry into the city because of what he has done in the past."

"That is nice of the guards. But what did your captain do that he is no longer allowed to be in Minas Tirith?"

"That is something which you have to ask captain Beregond himself, Boromir. I cannot tell you that in good consciousness. I would violate his trust in doing so."

"Did he do something really bad or did he do something bad that was not so severe?"

"Boromir, I do not think that he did something really bad for else he would not have been allowed to be the captain of the prince's guard. Do not bother the prince again with your questions."

"Yes, nana."

Faramir smiles thankfully at Finduilas for intervening. He appreciates it for he knows that Boromir would have been pestering him for the reason until Boromir got it or he got mad at Boromir. So now that Finduilas put a hold to it means that none of these options will ever happen. Boromir is understandably annoyed and disappointed. Faramir could hear both emotions in Boromir's voice. Also, Boromir's pouting served to reinforce the emotions in his voice. Faramir understands Boromir's emotions from his own childhood. Then he experienced the same thing as Boromir does now multiple times. And none of those times he liked to be told to not bother the person anymore. This for he did not believe he was bothering anyone.

A gasp makes Faramir looking up. He instinctively places a hand on his sword. What he sees makes him smile. In front of him, he can see the white tree at the top of the tunnel they are in now. It tells him that they have nearly arrived at the citadel. Based on the gasp, he expected to see a threat moving about and not this.

When he looks in the direction the sound came from he sees that it must have come from Denethor. Denethor is looking before him in a state of complete shock. Faramir worries that Denethor is going to collapse here on the ground. It would be an embarrassment Denethor would want to avoid at all cost. If it is possible to do so. This knowledge makes Faramir place a hand on Denethor's shoulder. It has a dual purpose for it serves to keep Denethor upright as well as encouraging him to continue walking. And not to stop waking and stare ahead.

"Let us continue and not linger here. You can work through everything you saw within your rooms."

As he says this Faramir pushed Denethor forward calmly. Denethor does not offer him any resistance for which Faramir is glad. He does receive a nod in answer to his words which he appreciates. Also, Faramir did not address Denethor by his name. It is the only way to keep their identity hidden as he intends to do.

It does not take them long afterward to fully enter the citadel. It looks the same as it has done in Denethor's time except for being busier. A large difference is that there is a living tree instead of a dead one. All this is noticed by his guest for Faramir sees them carefully inspecting the citadel. He sees this when he looks back to see if they are still following him to the steward's house. He did not hear footsteps as close by as he did before. Faramir knows that they do not want to miss anything that could have changed. As such he also knows for certain that there will mean a discussion once they are alone.

As for taking them to the steward's house, he does this for he managed to arrange rooms for them there. Also, keeping their identity secret that will be easier to do when they reside in the steward's house than when they will reside in one of the guesthouses. His own servants can be sworn to secrecy while those from the guest houses cannot be.

A short while later they have entered the house. As he looks at Denethor Faramir can see that Denethor recognizes the house they are in. Faramir instantly notices that there are questions visible in Denethor's eyes when he looks him in the eye. Faramir knows that he has no time to answer Denethor's questions at this time. He has other matters to attend to. One of those matters is that he needs to inform them about their possibility to attend court. Faramir hopes that they will agree to his offer. Well, he has little doubt about their agreement if he is honest. Denethor will not let such a chance disappear from his grasp. This way he will be able to see for himself what kind of king Aragorn is. Another matter is that Faramir needs to inform Aragorn about their arrival in this time. He would prefer to do this before the court starts. The reason for his is that this way they will have time to discuss what they will do. Also, Faramir is certain that Aragorn will want to meet them. That conversation, Faramir suspects, will be a tense one. He bases this on what he knows about their relationship.

Faramir looks back at Denethor. He sees that Denethor is looking impatiently at him. This tells him that he needs to inform them now about the reason why he lingers with them in the hallway.

"Denethor, I need to seek out the king soon to inform him about some matters. But before I leave I want to inform you that you and Finduilas can visit today's court if you like."

Faramir sees that Denethor and Finduilas share a few looks between them. As if they want to decide what they will do with the offer that was made. Or as of they want to discuss his reason for making this offer. He also sees that they make a few subtle gestures to each other. Based on the looks and gestures that are shared between them, Faramir comes to believe that they will accept his offer. Just as he expects them to do based on what he knows of his father. Of his mother, he does not know a lot as she died when he was still young.

"We would like to visit today's court, Your Highness. I personally would like to see how the king handles the court."

"Of course. I will ensure that on a few hours someone will guide you to one of the private sitting areas. As I am sure you know, it will be easier and faster to get past the guards if you have an escort. Also, it will allow you to observe the court while no one will be able to see you. I will instruct one of my own servants to personally provide you with drinks and refreshments during the break."

"That is certainly true, Your Highness. With an escort, one can bypass the guards easily. Especially when the escort is sufficiently respected by the guards on duty."

"That is right. The escort I had in mind is still young but highly respected and loved by the citadel guards. They have known him since he was a baby. As such I am certain that he can get you easily passed the guards."

"That is reassuring to hear, Your Highness. I do want to thank you for providing us with one of your own servants so that we will have drinks and refreshments during the court. As our identity needs to be kept hidden it is the only way for us to receive it. The servants of the citadel cannot do what your own servants will do."

"That is right, Lady, but you do not need to thank me for it. If we do not need to discuss anything anymore then I will leave to inform the king. My chief maid will guide you to your room."

With this, he points to his chief maid who stands a bit behind him to left. When Denethor nods, Faramir returns it, leaves and makes his way to the King's house. It takes him but a few minutes to reach his destination. There he only needs to determine where he can Aragorn. That he accomplishes by approaching the first servants he sees.

"Could you tell me where the king currently is?"

"I believe his majesty is in his study right now, Your Highness. But I am not certain of that for I have not seen since last evening."

Faramir sees the frown on the servant's face which confirms her words to him. She most likely makes this assumption based on past experiences.

"Thank you for your information. I will go check to see if your assumption is right. If not then I will check the other rooms to see if the king is there."

"Of course, Your Highness. As you have no need for me anymore, I will continue with the work I was doing before you interrupted me."

Faramir smiles innocently at her when he receives the irritated response. She only does this as she has worked for years as his nurse and as such is quite used to dealing with him. She knows what works best with him and what doesn't. Faramir is pulled from his thoughts when he feels her padding his cheek. She does this a few times while wearing a kind smile on her face.

"Do not let your mind wander so far again, Your Highness. Keep it in the here and now."

With that, she leaves him to continue with her duties. Faramir knows that whatever she is doing concerns Eldarion for she works as his nurse. He recommended her when Aragorn told him that he was looking for a nurse. This recommendation he made based on his own experiences with her. He remembers her as a just and kind. When he made mistakes when he was young she always had him it right again. He found that annoying when he was young but now he is grateful for it. The same thing he does with his own children when they make mistakes. As for Aragorn, he seems pleased with her for he never complained to him.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Faramir walks to Aragorn's study. Along the way he sees servants hurrying by. They are all in a hurry to prepare everything for the king's trip. At least that is the impression Faramir gets based on what he sees them carrying.

Once he reaches the study Faramir knocks a few times on the door. This way he will know if someone is in the study. As such he knows that he will learn if Aragorn is in his study. Faramir knows that it would be a breach of protocol where he to simply walk into the king's study without asking for permission to enter.

"Enter!"

Faramir smiles for he recognized the voice that called him. It is the king's voice that he heard coming from the other side of the door. It just shows how well his former nurse is able to uncover people's' habits and is able to predict their actions. It is especially helpful when dealing with children.

Faramir clears the smile from his face and takes on a neutral expression. Only then does he open the door and step into the study. Once inside the study, he sees that Aragorn sits at his desk. From what he can see it appears as if Aragorn is working on his correspondence.

Faramir walks to the desk and waits there for Aragorn to address him. It does not take long before Aragorn looks up. That is when he is done with his current correspondence. When Aragorn looks up Faramir can see that Aragorn is confused by his presence. The confusion is understandable for they had agreed to meet later.

"Faramir, what are you doing here? Is there something you need to discuss with me before the court begins?"

"Yes, Aragorn, there is something which we need to discuss before the court begins. It cannot wait for we will be busy preparing for the meeting with the Kahn afterward and thus will not be able to discuss them."

"Now I am intrigued, Faramir. What is so important that we need to discuss right now? Can it not wait until tomorrow? We will have everything prepared then for the meeting with the Kahn and thus will be to give it our full attention."

Faramir can see that he has managed to interest Aragorn into the matter they need to discuss. It makes him smile because answering questions as he did always ensures that Aragorn will become highly interested in the intended topic of conversation. This only shows when Aragorn is alone with close friends. If not then the topic is discussed later in private. As for Aragorn's questions, they are a way for Aragorn to test the importance of discussing the topic right now. It shows that Aragorn would prefer to leave discussing it to a later time. Unfortunately, Faramir is certain that it cannot wait and that Aragorn will understand it once he knows what it is about. Also, based on the answers Aragorn will get, he will know how important discussing the topic is for the person who asked him to discuss it. That is why he shakes his head.

"No, Aragorn, it cannot wait. You will understand why once I have explained everything."

"In that case, please explain to me what we need to discuss. I want to understand why you believe that I would want it discussed now rather than later when we have more time."

"Alright, then I better start my explanation."

Faramir smiles and receives one in return before he starts with his explanation.

"A few days ago, I went check up on the patrols. I wanted to know how safe Ithilien would be once I would travel with my family here. It was then that I made a surprising discovery. A young boy managed to get separated from his parents. His parents had gone for a riding trio and gotten lost. When we later reunited him with his family after a short search I was in for a surprise. The family I saw before me should be dead. Only I am certain that I saw them alive. It shocked me for I thought I was seeing things. Only to learn that I did not."

Faramir hears himself laugh a bit. It worries him when he sees the frown on Aragorn's face. As well as the worry he can see in Aragorn's eyes. It tells him that Aragorn is worried about his health. Considering his reaction it is totally understandable.

"Faramir, do you feel alright?"

Aragorn interrupts his thoughts by speaking up. Aragorn's words confirm the worry he recently noticed. At the same time as Aragorn speaks up, he stands up and walks towards him. Once Aragorn reached him he places a hand on Faramir's brow as well as grasping his wrist. This Faramir feels and as such he knows that with these actions Aragorn is checking his health. Especially by checking his temperature and heartbeat. It all adds to his belief that Aragorn is worried that something is wrong with his health. Aragorn is most likely worried that he is disillusioned and tries to determine this by checking his physical health. All this is not surprising considering the story he just told.

"Mhhh, you have no fever only a slightly increased heartbeat. Do you feel alright? I could excuse you from court if you need to rest."

"I feel fine, Aragorn. I do not need rest. I am more than capable of attending court."

The frown grows larger on Aragorn face. It tells him that Aragorn does not believe he is fine. He only became more worried. His reaction was not the best which tells him that Aragorn's reaction is completely understandable. Now he only needs to find a way to assure Aragorn that he is really fine. He needs to do it in such a way that Aragorn will believe him.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Aragorn. I am sure. I was not the only one to see them. My family, servants, and guards have also seen them. Mind you, when traveling the family always cloaked their faces so that they will not be recognized. I requested it of them so that there will be no rumors build around their presence here. With it comes that the things they said as well as their reactions to things I said were authentic. It all made me believe that they traveled to time. How that is possible I do not know."

Hopefully, this will convince Aragorn that he is fine as well as redirecting their conversation to the reason he came for. He wants to see if he can get Aragorn to agree to meet them after the court is finished.

"Mhhh. That is strange. If you had imagined them then they would not have seen them. Has anyone in the city seen them?"

"Yes, my chief maid has seen their faces. Also, there will be people in the city who saw them with their cloaks up."

"Then I can ask her later if I have a need for it. But before I would like to know one more thing. You believe that if they are recognized by people who know them that there will be rumors?"

"Yes, I do believe so. You would recognize them the minute you see them. Of that I am certain."

These questions give Faramir hope that he will be believed. Or at least that Aragorn is considering that his story might be truthful. When he looks back at Aragorn, Faramir can see that Aragorn is deep in his thoughts. Most likely to consider everything he just learned. He just hopes that Aragorn will come to the conclusion that he told him the truth.

"Will they be present during court? I could meet with them afterward."

Faramir smiles because he already asked them to attend court and because he wanted Aragorn to meet them. It shows also that Aragorn wants to determine if his words are the truth. It does mean that he is not yet fully believed but Faramir is certain that in time he will be.

"What is so funny, Faramir?"

"Nothing, Aragorn. We just think so alike to each other. Before coming to you I asked them to attend court which they accepted. I also intended to ask you to meet them once court has been finished."

"Then we do indeed think alike."

Aragorn smiles when he says this which puts Faramir at ease. He is now certain that his story is being believed. There is now only one thing left for them to discuss.

"We need to discuss one more thing, Aragorn. How will the family return to their own time? This needs to be done if we do not want our timeline to be more changed than it will be."

"You have a point there, Faramir. The longer they stay here the more this timeline might be changed or will be in danger of disappearing. Which of the two is more likely will depend on which family traveled through time. A concept I can barely get my head around."

Then Aragorn stops talking. Faramir can tell that he is thinking about something. He suspects that Aragorn is thinking about how they will return the family to their own time.

"I do not know how we will return the family to their own. There is nothing I can think off at this time that might work. It is just too bad that Mithrandir is gone. We could have used his knowledge to determine the best way to return them to their own time."

"That is true. Mithrandir could have helped us. But I am certain that we can determine it on our own. We just need time to determine possible solutions. I do know that it will take time."

"That is true. We need to be patient because that way a solution will present itself."

Faramir sees that Aragorn then turns to look out of the window. As he follows his lord's gaze, he sees that they need to prepare themselves soon for the upcoming court.

"Well then. I do believe that we need to prepare for court now or we will be late.

Faramir nods in answer before they both stand up. He knows that Aragorn knows as well as he does that not many people will notice it if they are late. Nor will there be many people insulted for the same reason. The exact time when today's court will start is only known by a few people. As such they are not required to hurry. Still, they do not like being late so they will hurry to be ready on time or a short while later.

Soon both men are walking back to their room where they will dress in the ceremonial robes required for the court. As well as picking up the regalia they are required to have with them. In hand or wearing.

* * *

Meanwhile, Denethor and Finduilas are sitting in their new room. They have already refreshed themselves and dressed in a formal robe and dress. As such they are ready to attend court. They only need to wait for their escort to show up and escort them to their sitting area. Finduilas is grateful towards the prince for lending them the robe and dress they wear for they had none with them.

Now that they are waiting for their escort, Denethor is thinking about the room they got assigned. He knows this room really well as he has housed guests here in the past. Important and high ranking guests of the steward that is for that is the group for which this room has been furnished. The room is large and luxurious and located in the guest wing of the steward's house. It has a large four poster bed and a few nightstands standing against the front wall when seen from the doorway. To the right of the bed a closet stands. Denethor is certain that the servants will have put their clothes inside it before they retire tonight. On the left side of the bed stands a dressing table where Finduilas can ready herself in the mornings. A dresser stands next to the table. All the furniture is handcrafted and expensive.

All things considering, Denethor is pleased with this room. It shows how important they to the prince. Even though the prince has not redecorated the room. Which is not really surprising considering the fact that this kind of room is furnished according to protocol. What the prince has changed are the wall hangings as well as the paintings on the wall.

When Denethor looks at his wife he sees that she is also looking at him. She is looking at him with a questionable expression while wearing a frown. He wonders what is on her mind that she looks at him like this. What does she want to know? What is she worried about that she frowns? Or is she confused by or about something? All these questions come to his mind when seeing Finduilas expression. It tells him that he needs to figure out what is going on in her mind.

"Finduilas, what is troubling you?"

"Nothing is troubling me. I am simply wondering what we can expect from court today."

Denethor smiles because it is something which he was also wondering about. He knows the protocols that need to be followed during a court session. With those, there is not a lot of room to deviate from them. Still, the room that there is will allow the king to place his personal touch on the session. Denethor has always stuck to the protocol as it gave him a sense of security. That way he knew he would do everything as it is supposed to be done. But as for what the king will do, he has no idea. It will all depend on the personality of the king how much use he will make of the room to deviate. As such he decides to tell Finduilas.

"I do not think that there will be many changes with how I have always held court. You know that the protocol is very tight. The changes that there might be will be small and will depend on the personality of the king."

"Your right about that. But what I was actually wondering about were the cases that might be discussed today. What kind of requests will be made? As well as who will all be in attendance?"

"That is something which I cannot answer you. The cases and requests all depend on what demand there is. As for the attendees, that will depend on who is currently in the city. But what I do know is that the attendees will also tell us something about what kind of a man the king is and with what kind of men he surrounds himself."

"You are right, you can tell a lot about a man or woman by looking at the people they surround themselves with. But from what I saw of the prince, I am certain that the king will surround himself primarily with lords who care for their people. It would mean that the king himself cares for the people."

"That is true. The prince gives that impression. But let us wait with making a decision until we have seen the other lords as well as the king himself."

"Of course, meleth."

Denethor shares a smile with Finduilas before hugging her tightly. They both enjoy this for it tells them that they are fine and together. As well as that they can depend on each other with what is yet to come. It has been a long time since they could hug each other for their duties prevented them from spending time together. As well as the fact that they have an image to uphold in public. But now that they are free to show their affection for each other. As such they make the most of it while they can.

"Denethor, we should see if our escort is here otherwise we will be late for court. More importantly, we might be seen by the people."

These words, as well as Finduilas pushing against his chest, make Denethor release their hug. He knows that what Finduilas just said is true. That is why he reluctantly let go of their hug while he would have wanted for it to continue a while longer. He knows that if their escort does not show up soon then people will surely see them when they are being guided to their viewing area. It will mean that the prince's plan will fail. Just when he wants to stand up and check the hallways for their escort, a knock on the door draws their attention. He shares a look with Finduilas before he allows the person who knocked to enter the room.

"Enter."

Seconds later, a young boy walks into the room. He appears to in his early twenties and garbed of the prince's guard minus the armor. Denethor gets the impression that the boy is either nearly or just an adult. He is most likely an apprentice or esquire for the prince's guards.

"My lo... master, mistress, my name is Bergil. My prince Fara... my prince requested me to be your escort for today's court. If you would follow me then I will guide you to where you can observe court. Your sons will be in the care of my prince's nurses."

Denethor is not fooled by the way the boy, who he now knows is called Bergil, tries to cover up his lapses. He did hear what Bergil tried to call him. It gives him the impression that Bergil knows their names. As such Bergil must have known him personally or someone close to him. Else he would not have tried to call him my lord with such a sense of habit. He also noticed that Bergil nearly told them the prince's name. A name which has been a mystery ever since they met the prince. He has tried to uncover it subtly by paying attention to what others call the prince as well as other ways to determine his name. So far he has been unsuccessful in his objective but now he has a point of reference. From there he can start with determining the prince's name.

"I would like to ask you to thank the prince for his generosity."

Finduilas voice pulls him from his thoughts and reminds him that they left Boromir with the prince's nurse. That she asked Bergil to thank the prince is normal for her. She always thanks people or has someone else do it when she is unable to do so.

"Of course, I will."

The smile Finduilas receives is one of reassurance. Well, now that she knows that the prince will be thanked Denethor decides that they should leave.

"Shall we go?"

"Yes, sir. Of course. Please follow me."

Denethor can tell that he startled Bergil by the way the boy looked at him and acted. Whether that is because of his sharp voice when he requested to leave or because of his posture Denethor does not know. One of them can be the reason as well as both of them. He risks a glance at Finduilas when Bergil opens the door. He sees that she is looking at him with a displeased look. He hopes that she has not noticed his looking for he would like to stay from her bad side. If she did then he will face a heavy reprimand. Also, it will not end well for him tonight in that case or even if she is still mad at him then. He will most likely be banished from her bed then and have to sleep on the couch or the floor. Something which he wants to avoid at all costs. As such he decides not to mention his observations nor to apologize. That way the risks will be the smallest.

Minutes later, they have left the steward's house and enter into the courtyard. Bergil stays where they are now and looks over the courtyard. Most likely to determine the fastest path to their destination while at the same time having the least risk of being seen.

Denethor decides during the wait that he will let Bergil guide them to their destination even though he knows the way by heart. The only thing he does not know is from which area they will observe the court. For that, he will have no choice but to let Bergil guide them. He hopes that they have been given a good place to observe so that he can see all there is to see. That way he will know what kind of king sits in the throne. If they get one of the areas with little visuality then it will not be possible. Also, he is certain that they will have to cover themselves in their cloaks much to his irritation. He would like to be able to walk around freely without the need to hide.

Once they have their cloaks up, Bergil seems to have determined the path they will take for he mentions for them to follow him. He guides them towards the tower of Ecthelion. Just as Denethor expected him to do. During the walk there, he keeps a close eye on his environment. All for the sake to learn what else has changed over the years. Unfortunately, he is unable to notice any more changes except those which he saw earlier. It gives him the impression that the king wants to keep things similar to how they have been.

Once they reach the tower they are guided toward the side of the tower. This makes it clear to Denethor that they will enter through a side door. But just when they are about to turn around a corner so that they are at the side of the tower, a voice stops them right in their tracks.

"Where do you three think that you are going?! Only lords and their families can enter the tower through there with their guards. Turn to the front doors immediately!"

Denethor is pleased by this response for it shows that the front door is still the main entrance for people wanting to enter the tower of Ecthelion. Also, it shows that the guards do their work well based on their reprimand. Bergil will now have to prove the steward's words and trust. As in being respected by the guards and being able to get them past the guards into the tower. Looking at the person who called them to stop Denethor sees that it is a man dressed as a captain. Bergil's words confirm his observations.

"Captain, I have been asked by our prince and steward to guide these people to a private sitting area and to remain with them. If you do not believe me then I ask you to question our steward. But right now, we will enter the tower. No need to be late while you check my story."

Denethor is impressed with the nerve Bergil shows. He has not imagined that Bergil is capable of it nor that he would have acted like this. He saw Bergil as a kind and polite young man and this finds this behavior strange. He also worries about the reaction of the captain for he foresees problems arising there. No one ever entered the tower in his time without the guards being sure that everything is in order. They would detain people for as long as it took them to confirm their story. At that time they would also be searched to see what they have with them. Any weapons or potentially dangerous objects they might have on them would be confiscated until after court. As he expects this to happen to them, Denethor is pleased that they did not take a lot with them. He only has a knife with him for self-defense and expects problems with being allowed to take it with him. At the same time, he also does not expect that he will have to use it. That does not mean that he is willing to surrender it. He wants it close so that he feels safe. Without weapons, he has never felt safe. Another problem is that he expects that they have to lower their cloaks so that the captain can see their faces. How Bergil will avoid that Denethor has no idea for it would a reasonable request. All this combined makes the captain's reaction all the more surprising.

"Yes, of course. I can understand that you do not want to late, Bergil. I will go check your story. In the meantime, you should go straight to the sitting area. Which sitting area did our prince tell you to take them to?"

"I was told to take them to the central south sitting area."

"Of course, once I check your story I will seek you out there to inform you about my decision. Do not go anywhere else than the sitting area."

Denethor can see the relief on the face of the captain once he is told about the sitting area they will use. It is a vast improvement to the questioning look from before. It tells him that the captain approves of the room just as he does. He knows the sitting area they will go to well for he used it in the past to have people watch court who might be in danger if they are seen publicly. He is pleased that the prince knows of it used as well as he does and is willing to exploit them. Denethor knows that the central south sitting area offers a near perfect view of the courtroom while at the same time concealing those sitting there. That it is an area which is rarely used is an added benefit. But it is also understandable for it would offer an assassin the perfect spot to act from. A good line of sight to fire an arrow from as well as concealing his presence. Bergil's answer pulls him back to the present.

"We will, captain. If you could excuse us, I do not want to keep you from your work. We also need to make our way the sitting area. I will see you later, captain."

The captain nods and then Bergil turns around back to the side of the tower. He mentions for them to follow him which Denethor and Finduilas do. Denethor is pleased to note that Bergil confirms the prince's trust in him.

Five minutes later, Denethor looks down upon the courtroom from where they are waking to the sitting area. Down below he can see peasants moving around. It surprises him for it is early for them to be walking around. They would normally arrive later or at least that is what he is used to. As he looks at the room he can see a group of chairs standing to the side of the room. He wonders why they are there. He wonders why they are there. Are they reserved for guests of the king? Or are they for the people? Denethor wants an answer to these question but knows that he has to wait for court to begin to get them. What he does know is that there are too few chairs for everyone. Especially, if more people will come. As for his question, he has a feeling that Bergil does not know the answers he seeks.

When he takes a look at the throne he suddenly remembers that he knows little about the king. At least, that what he knows is too little to tell him what the king is like for a person. A matter that has been on his mind for some time now. A matter which he has been unable to solve to his own irritation.

Denethor can see that two chairs stand before the throne. The black one he recognizes for that is the one he uses. The current steward will sit there during court. For as far as he knows it might be Faramir but he refuses to call him as such until he is certain that the prince is indeed his youngest son Faramir. The gray chair he has never seen before. It means that this one is added by the king. But for who Denethor has no idea. It could be for an important advisor. In case Gil would be the king as would be his right then Denethor would think it belonging to the steward of Arnor. This for Gil would be the king of Arnor and Gondor. 9f that Denethor is certain. It would mean that he would have to appoint someone as steward of Arnor for he cannot deal with matters from both realms at the same time on his own. He would need the aid of two stewards to be able to manage everything. Well, appointing for as far as he has not yet done in the past. Denethor is aware that he knows very little of how Arnor is ruled. As such he does not know if there is a steward in Arnor in his own time. It would be something to investigate once he is home.

Then he hears a door being opened. It tells him that they have arrived at the sitting area. When he looks in the director of the sound he sees Bergil standing by the door and mentioning for them to enter. Denethor nods to Bergil to show he understands him and then steps inside the sitting area. Finduilas coming along with him since she is still holding his arm.

Once inside he sees two chairs standing by the balcony in the optimal position to watch court. Another chair stands by the side. This one is most likely for Bergil as he told the captain that he would stay with them. That chair does not offer a lot of view into the courtroom. Against one wall stands a table with tea and refreshments already laid out. The tea stands on a heater so as to keep it warm until they will drink it. Depending on how long court might last they will need it more. Especially since he knows that there will be breaks if court lasts too long. It will ensure that everyone can focus appropriately. That this is all has been prepared for them Denethor attributes to the prince.

Suddenly, he hears the sound of the door being closed. It makes him turn around to see who closed it. Even though he has an idea who might have done it. He sees that it is Bergil who stands there. This confirms the words Bergil spoke earlier. As well as what he thought when he heard the door being closed. Bergil will be staying with them.

"Why do we not sit down? There is little to do for us by standing here. If you want you could take some tea and refreshments with you. I imagine we will be waiting here for some time for the court starts."

"You are right, young man. There is little for us to do but wait for the court starts. I do think we will take you up on the offer to take tea and refreshments with us."

That is the time that he feels a hand on his elbow pressing strongly on it. This hand directs him to the table he saw earlier. He lets himself be guided for he knows that protesting is of no use for him. If Finduilas acts like this then no matter what he will say will stop her. She will simply ignore him and do what she wants without him. As such he pours himself a cup of tea and gathers some refreshments on a plate.

Only the does he walk to the chairs and sits down in one of them. On his left side stands the other chair. When he looks to his right side he sees a small table standing there. Where it came from Denethor has no idea. He did not see it earlier. Still, he appreciates it for it allows him to place his tea and plate down. Of would have been cumbersome were he to hold both in his hand. Or at least, his teacup for he could have placed the plate on his lap. How well it would have gone then he has no idea. It does not mean that the table offers the best and safest solution for him.

"Denethor, look! I see lords arriving."

Finduilas voice surprises him for he did not notice her sitting down. Truthfully, he did not really pay attention to where she was for he imagined that she would spend quite some time choosing which refreshments she will want. If she has the time for it and has plenty to choose from then she will take her time. It is thus surprising that she has managed to gather everything already.

Finduilas words have him turning his attention to the courtroom. He can see that she is right. He sees lords arriving. As he looks, Denethor can see the lord of Anórien arriving as well as many others. Some are the sons of a lord he knows or one of their kin. Others are lords be knows. All this tells him that those lords have died.

Just then his eyes fall upon a very familiar appearance. He sees a few swan knights entering. Behind them comes a man dressed in blue robes with a silver swan stitched on it wearing a silver circlet. From this distance, it is impossible for Denethor to see the man's face. Based on the man's appearance as well as his height and beating, Denethor is certain of one thing. His brother-in-law just entered the courtroom.

It makes him pay attention to what the Herald is saying for he is certain that Imrahil would have been announced by the Herald. He did not earlier as he was busy watching the lords and did not listen to what was being said. Also, he was not aware that the court will begin soon. He knows that lords like Imrahil only enter court shortly before it begins. The minor lords always enter first followed not long afterward by the high lords. This is why he concluded that the court will begin soon. That is why he hears how the next lord is announced by the Herald.

"Lord Halbarad, son of Halladan, Steward of Arnor."

Denethor looks around the room and sees someone standing by the side door. There he sees a man walking through the opened door. The man's appearance is similar to the nobles. The nobles have a lot of Númemorean blood in them which gives them their appearance. The man walks towards the grey chair and sits down on it. Denethor wonders how the man got this position. Through inheritance or through appointment? He knows that this man is the steward of Arnor based on what he was told about the grey chair. Well, Denethor is aware that he might never get an answer to these questions. It does not mean that he will not try to do his best to learn it. A new announcement by the Herald has him turning his attention back to the room.

"His Highness, the Prince of Ithilien and Steward of Gondor, Faramir son of Denethor."

Now he knows for certain that the prince is truly his son Faramir. Just as he and Finduilas thought. He sees how Faramir goes straight to the black chair and stays standing there. Looking at the other steward he sees that the man also stands. When he looks around the room he can see that all those who previously sat are now standing. Looking at Finduilas and Bergil, they also stand up. Well, Bergil already stood. Denethor knows that soon he will finally get a good look at the king.

"His Majesty the King of Gondor and Arnor, Elessar Envinyatar."

Denethor makes sure to look carefully at the king. He wants to see if he can recognize him from anywhere. At least he got the impression in the past that he knows him. That is what he could pick up from Faramir's words. Even though they were carefully praised.

The way the king is dressed does not tell him a lot. It is the same way the lords are dressed. Only he wears a white mantel which is more expensive decorated than the ones the lords are wearing. He can see that the king has his sword with him as well as a scepter. This he knows belongs to the kings of Arnor and is a sign of their kingship. At the same time, he can see that the king wears a circlet with a bright stone on it. Denethor recognizes it but does not know from where. All he knows that it is familiar to him.

Then the king steps into the light and he can finally see his face. It is a face he would recognize from anywhere. It is more ages than he remembers it being. Not surprising considering the time that has passed. The face belongs to Thorongil.


	11. Chapter 11

Thorongil is the king? He has expected a lot but not this. Gil has shown no interest in the throne when he was last in Gondor. Considering his victory over the Corsairs he would have easily gained the throne then. The people would have wanted it. He did not like it much for he feared what it would do to his family's position in Gondor. What he has seen until now has taken his fear away. His family had kept their position. 

Also, he was in the understanding that the king’s name is Elessar. Not Thorongil. It confuses him why he would be told the other name. It does not make any sense. Well, there have been a few kings in the past who changed their names upon ascending the throne. If Gil did this then it means that he took a regnal name. It would be the only thing that would make sense. There is no other reason he can come up with. 

Denethor smiles amused at the thought that Gil took a regnal name. Gil will have quite some names right now. He knows that he is also called Aragorn. If he has any more names he does not know. Also, he does not which of the names, Thorongil or Aragorn, is his actual one. He did try to uncover it in the past but faced with a stone wall. Those that would know refused to tell him. Much to his irritation. 

“What is so amusing, Denethor?”

Denethor looks to Finduilas to see her frowning at him as well as looking amused. It is an interesting combination to see and amuses him. As he smiles amused at her expression, Finduilas frown deepens. It removes his amused expression quickly and he considers what he just discovered. He wants to know if Finduilas saw the same thing as he did. If she did then he knows that he did not imagine it. If not then he is imagining it once more. 

“Before I answer that, why do you not tell me if you recognize the king?”

As he asks this, Denethor gives her a questioning look. A similar look he gets in return before a suspicious look is thrown his way. 

“Of course, I recognize him. The king is Gil. Did you think I would not recognize him? You know that I always recognize our friends.”

It is clear from her voice that Finduilas is annoyed. Her behavior reinforces it when she clenches her fist. He knows that she got the impression that he was fooling with her. That he thought she would not recognize a friend. He is aware that he will sleep on the couch tonight if he is unable to calm Finduilas down. This he attempts to do not king afterward. 

“No, meleth. I did not think that you would not recognize one of our friends. I simply wanted to know if my own recognition is correct. I wanted confirmation from you. I was not certain that I was imagining it.”

As he says this, Denethor holds Finduilas’ hand in his and strokes it. He hopes that she will calm down thanks to both his stroking and his words. As he has felt the tension leave her when he took her hand, Denethor believes he will succeed. A short while later, Finduilas has finally calmed down enough and looks to him again. The look he receives is one of regret and understanding. 

“Sorry for reacting like that, meleth. I am stressed by this situation which I am sure you are also. I can understand that you want to be sure that you really saw Gil and did not imagine it. I know how painful it was for you each time you thought you saw him and it turned out you imagined it. We both miss him.”

“That we do. That we do. We both know that we needed him in the past. Unfortunately, he had other matters to attend to for which he had left Gondor and did not return. Which matters called him away I never learned. I only learned that he had been called away by reading a letter he wrote to my father. Still, he must have come back or else he would not have been king right now.”

“That is true.”

Finduilas smiles as she says this. Then they both look at the courtroom and see how Gil sits down on the throne. His sword is laid over his legs while he holds the scepter in his right hand. Once he sits, they see how Faramir stands up and addresses the public. This, Denethor knows, is the sign that the audience will be started. 

“This audience is opened. There are two matters which have been brought to the king’s attention. His Highness, high king Elessar, has decided that they will be addressed later for he assumes that they require quite some time to deal with. Also, he wants everyone to have a chance to bring matters to his attention. This for the first thirty minutes anyone can bring matters before the king. Then we will see to these matters which have been brought to His Majesty’s attention.”

Denethor can see the logic behind this decision. It will give everyone the feeling that they will be listened to while at the same time keeping everything within the time set for this audience. It is a wise decision Gil made. He sees how Faramir sits down on his chair once more. It is a sign for the people to step forward and present their problems. 

For him, this speech served to remind him about the one thing he wanted to discuss with Finduilas. He needs to address this now before the people come forward. He wants to observe his Gil deals with it. Actually, he would like to aid Gil today. He knows that he will have to accept only being able to observe. But back to the matter, he wanted to discuss, Denethor decides to inform Finduilas about it. 

“Fin, you know what I find amusing? That Gil would take one more name. Now, I do not know how many names he has.”

“What do you mean, meleth?”

Denethor can see the confusion in Finduilas’ eyes. It is only then that he remembers that he never told her that Gil has more names than she is aware of. It means that she only knows his name as Thorongil and does not know his other one. He gives her a guilty look before answering her. 

“I am sorry, meleth. I forgot to tell you that I managed to uncover that Gil also has the name Aragorn. Now besides these two, he also has the name Elessar. That I what I find so amusing.”

“That is indeed amusing. Why would one have more than at most names? Still, I wonder if it is possible that he has more names than you are aware of, Denethor? I think it is a real possibility.”

“That is indeed a real possibility, Fin. I never thought about it. But they have to admit that I never managed to find more than the two names I told you about.” 

“When actually did you uncover that Gil also has the name Aragorn? You only just told me you about it.”

Denethor can see the confusion on her face as Finduilas asks her question. That she does not know when he discovered it relates to the fact that he never told her. Just as she told him. That she asks him now is as such no real surprise. He actually expected it when he first told her. Now, he will have to explain to her when and why he learned those names. 

“I uncovered it after Gil was attacked by orcs and nearly killed. At that time one of the surviving orcs told me who they had attacked. That is when I learned that he is our rightful king. You know that at that time there were assassins in the city, do you not?”

“Yes, I do know about the presence of the assassins at that time. Remember, you forbid me then to leave the Citadel without a company of guards accompanying me. Even more importantly, you increased the presence of guards all over the city. Thor, could you tell me why the assassins were in the city. I doubt they came for shopping or trading.”

Denethor has to smile at Finduilas’ joke. She knows as well as anyone else that assassins only ever come into Minas Tirith if they have an assignment. Assassins always prefer to live far from cities to avoid attracting attention from the lords living there. 

“You are right, they did not come to the city to shop or trade. They were sent to finish the task the orcs failed to complete. Their presence kept me busy for days and worried for even longer. Luckily they never succeeded. At that time I taught myself to always carry some sort of weapon on me. Unfortunately, I never found out who send them. I do believe still that the same man who sent the orcs also sent the assassins.”

“That is indeed a logical conclusion one would make. It would mean that the assassins sent by Mordor itself.”

Denethor can see her looking expectedly at him. It shows that she wants him to continue. They both that he has not yet finished his explanation. As such he continues with his explanation. 

“Once the situation with the assassins had been dealt with I went on a secret mission for my father. I was tasked with learning more about Gil. In fact, father told me to learn all I could about him. As I knew that he came from Arnor my first stop was Imladris. 

It turned out to be the place to go to as I could learn the most about Gil there. I learned that he is called Aragorn by his people and was raised there after his father’s death. Unfortunately, I could not learn anything else as from then on I was impeded by the elves of Imladris. They appeared to me as highly protective of him. In the end, I gave up and left with the little information I had uncovered. Among it was also a copy of Gil’s family tree.”

Finduilas nods and just as she wants to speak up a woman walks up to the throne. This marks the beginning of the thirty minutes where everyone can bring matters before the king. Denethor pays close attention to it and notices that the people bring all sorts of matters before Gil’s attention. It varies from matters concerning good deeds from youths to family strives. 

Denethor finds it interesting to watch as there is a lot for him to observe. He can see how well Gil cares for the people and makes just decisions. The people, in turn, all respect Gil’s judgment on their matter. Some of which he would have refused to deal with. They would have been told to bring the matter before one of the magistrates. 

Denethor finds that the thirty minutes quickly pass by. Soon it is already time for the first of the two cases to be addressed. When Faramir stands up it is clear that the two matters will be addressed now. Those who were walking towards the throne Denethor can see walking back to where the public stands. They clearly know that they will have to wait to bring their case before the king. 

When he looks at Gil he sees that Gil has noticed them too. The look in Gil’s eye is one he recognizes easily. It shows that Gil will be seeking them out later. Turning his attention to Faramir he sees how Faramir looks in the direction of the main doors. He knows that there the Herald will be. The Herald will be waiting for the signal to call out the first of the two cases. 

At Faramir’s nod, he hears how the herald calls out the first of the two cases. At his call, two men walk forward. One of the men is dressed in an elaborative way. It gives the impression that he is a wealthy man. If he is not than Denethor is certain that he is a vain man. Especially because his clothing appears new in Denethor’s eyes. 

Denethor is not fooled by this impression. He has seen better-looking man be the worst kind of man imaginable. As such he will keep his counsel to himself and will not say anything. Of one thing he is certain. Gil will not be fooled by it. The same counts for Faramir if his son is anything like him. They will know that this man is only doing this to appear as if he is important. 

The other man is dressed in worn clothing. Still, the clothing is neat enough to be worn to court. He has clearly not gone to the same extremes as the first. He made certain that he looks neat but not so extravagant as the first. Something which Denethor appreciates greatly. 

Once both men stand before the throne the neatly dressed man is asked what grievance he has with the other. It turns out he has ordered wood from the elaborative dressed man who is a wood trader. Word he never received but needed since he is a carpenter. He was told by the other that he has never paid for the wood but is certain that he has. This since he has proof which he brought with him. He explains how he only wants his money back and nothing more. He has found another supplier in the meantime with whom he is satisfied. 

After a bit of questioning, everyone learns why this case has been brought before the king and not a magistrate where it actually belongs. It turns out that the carpenter does not trust the magistrates. This since there have been many more who asked the trader to return their money. They never got anything since the trader claimed to not have been paid by them which the magistrate accepted each time. The carpenter wants to avoid a similar fate. He is convinced that he will receive a fair judgment from the king. 

Denethor can understand why the carpenter comes before the king. It shows clearly that he believes the magistrate to be biased or at the very least does not look closely into a case brought before them. He has in the past gotten multiple complains like this as well as similar complains against lords. Each time he looked into the magistrate or lord to see if there is anything to it. In this case, it certainly calls for a look into the magistrate which would have handled the case normally and which has handled the previous ones. 

It is then that the carpenter is asked if he has the proof with him. It turns out that he brought the receipts with him in a box. Also, his witnesses wait among the public. It is quickly decided that the receipts will be not reviewed right now. Not will the witnesses be questioned. Denethor finds this a sensible choice since it is only necessary if the trader keeps denying having received payment. Then both will be necessary to determine who is speaking the truth.

Unfortunately, Denethor is certain that the trader will claim that he has not received payment as he has been doing in the past. Which is also what the trader does when he is questioned. He also claims that the carpenter’s proof is fake. Why it is fake the trader does not say nor is he willing to elaborate on his statement. It is clear that the trader is not really forthcoming with information. It shows that some pressing is necessary to get all relevant information out if him. Or at least that is Denethor’s impression. 

Another thing the trader mentions is that the other people who made asked him to pay them back never got anything. This since they made false claims. Or at least that is what the trader says. Denethor is suspicious about the statement that it was false claims. The same counts for the stewards based in their expression. Gil, meanwhile, maintains a neutral expression. He has not shown any emotion during the questioning. 

Soon everyone learns that Faramir has information that indicated that the trader has heavy debts. This information makes the trader nervous based on the body language Denethor can see from where he sits. Clearly, Faramir has touched a sensitive subject for the trader. One that he does not want to be made public. It shows to everyone that the information Faramir has is most likely true. Or at the very least the trader has something to hide. 

Initially, the trader refused to acknowledge it but after some pressing, he reluctantly tells the truth. Pressing by Faramir which exists out of the offer to question the people he has debts with. The trader steadfastly claims that it is not necessary. It is then that the reader tells the truth. Something which was clear for all to see that he was not comfortable with doing. It made it even more clear that he does not want people to know he has debts. Nor does he want to pay his customers the money back he owns them. Now that it is clear that all the claims were justified. 

Denethor smiles amused for if Gil deems the carpenter’s claim to also be true then the trader has even more debts than he already has. This since the people whose claim was turned down will now go into appeal if the can. How the trader will pay everything back, Denethor does not mind. It is not his concern about how that is done. Had the trader acted more responsible then it would not have happened.

Some more questioning reveals that the trader uses the money from his customers to pay off his own debts whenever one of his creditors wanted his money back within a few days. This the trader did since he considers paying off his debts more important than keeping his obligations with his customers. It just shows how self-centered the trader is and how wants to keep his problems to the fewest possible. Nor is he interested in the good for his business. 

Denethor knows that where he to judge this case then the trader would be in a lot of problems. He would have to pay the carpenter all of his money back and pay off all his debts within one month. If he does not then he would have been sentenced to two years of labor. At the same time, his creditors could claim their debts from his possessions. 

But he knows that that is not how Gil will judge. Gil has always been a fair man. As such Gil will not give such a hard sentence as he would prefer. One thing is for certain, the trader will have to pay the carpenter the money he owns him. 

Suddenly he is pulled from his musing by Gil speaking up and pronouncing his judgment. 

“You will have to pay your customer the money he gave you in good faith for your intended service. As you have heavy debts and as such not enough coins to do so, you will pay part of it in coins. The remainder you will pay from your personal possessions. You are forbidden from making new debts to pay off your customers. An agent of mine will oversee this to ensure that you will obey this judgment. He will accompany you once you both leave the room. 

Afterward, you will be brought to Annúminas where you will assist in handling the books for those who are rebuilding Annúminas. Those who will be overseeing you there will be informed about what you have done. There you will labor for a year after which you will be free to settle wherever you wish.”

Well, that is certainly a just punishment for the trader. He will learn now what he has done wrong. The punishment is allowed for those who are prosecuted for the first time for fraud. They can receive labor punishment. But any further times the law that one should spend time in prison. 

The trader committed fraud against the carpenter when he took money from the carpenter but never intended to supply him with the wood he requested. Or at least was not certain he would do so. The carpenter was during all that time convinced that he would receive the wood he requested. 

That Gil also forces the trader to pay the carpenter his money back is just but not required according to the law. However, now that Gil has done it he complies with the request the carpenter made. As such he is certain that the carpenter is more than pleased with the judgment his case received. 

The prosecution that happened is allowed in case the king learns of a crime that has been committed from a case brought before him. This has been the case right now hence why Gil could punish the trader as he did. 

Denethor is pulled from his musing by the herald calling out the next case. Only a short while later he sees how a man pulls a struggling young maiden by the arm forward to the throne. She is trying to pull free from the hold the man has on her. Denethor wonders what this is about. Has the maiden wronged the man? But then why would the man do this. It would be more logical to have her walking towards the throne on her own. Well, whatever it is Denethor is certain everyone will learn soon. 

Once they reach the throne the man is summery ordered to release the maiden. The maiden instantly takes a few steps away from the man when she is released. It is clear that she does not want to be anywhere near him. Whether it is out of fear or anger, Denethor does not know. He cannot see them well enough for that. 

“Are you alright, mistress?”

“Yes, Your Highness. I am alright now that my father is no longer dragging me around.”

This has stewards instantly turning their attention to the man. Denethor sees how the man straightens himself at their attention. Just as them he wants to know why a father would be dragging his daughter around. It is steward Halbarad who asks the question burning on everyone’s mind. 

“Why do you drag your daughter around? She seems to be more than capable of handling herself based on what we could see.”

“That is not true, Your Highness. She cannot be left on her own. She does not know what is good for her. I know that!”

“And why does she not know what is good for her?”

“Because she allowed a Rohirrim to take her with him. Or at least he tried. I stopped it in its tracks. He tried to abduct her. Of that I am certain. She does not know what is good for her since she did not fight the Rohirrim.”

Denethor hears how the room starts to become boisterous after this statement. At the same time, he sees how the faces of the lords present harden. He suspects it has to do with the accusation against the Rohirrim. Since one of the stewards, specifically, Faramir, married a princess of Rohan both lands must be close allies. Either through the marriage or through friendship. That this is the case, Denethor does not know. But then to make such an accusation makes it even worse. 

“What is the name of the Rohirrim you accuse of abducting your daughter?”

At this question from Faramir, Denethor once more pays attention to the proceedings. He would like to know what has happened and what the judgment will be. The father does not waste time in answering. 

“I do not know, Your Highness. I never asked him for his name. All I did was send him away and threaten him so that he does not know to seek my daughter out ever again.”

“Then why are you here right now?”

“Because I would like for my daughter to be forbidden from interacting with any Rohirrim ever again. If she does then I am sure that they will take her with them to Rohan.”

“Before a judgment is made on your request, we would like to know what your daughter has to say about your accusations and request.” 

The father nods for he knows that protesting is of no use. His daughter needs to be heard so that the full story of what happened is known. After receiving the nod Faramir turns his attention to the daughter who has stood to the side. 

“You have heard what your father has said, mistress. What is your view on it?”

“They are not true. Ardwulf did not try to abduct me. I wanted to leave with him out of my own volition. We love each other and want to marry.”

Form the way the maiden spoke, it is clear that she is angry at her father. That she is in love with the Rohirrim is of no real surprise to Denethor. It is one of the few possibilities that would explain the situation. The other being that what her father said is true. But then it would not explain the maiden’s behavior. Her own story does explain it. He sees how the maiden then takes a deep breath but before she can say any more her father interrupts her.

“You will never marry him for as long as I live!”

“I know you will not allow it, father. You want me to marry Tildir. You know I do not like him. What is worse is that he wants to control everything I do!”

So that is what it is all about. The father wants her to marry someone whom she does not want to marry. It is a right the father has. Still, forcing his daughter's hand will be of no use. It will only result in her fleeing. Then the father will have lost his daughter for good since he will not be able to find her again. 

He saw how Faramir was about to reprimand the father for his interruption when the daughter reacted faster than him. She clearly said what her problem was with her father’s plans. Denethor is glad that she was so fast in responding. Now the entire matter that lies between them has been made public and everyone can learn more about it. Learn more about it since he has a feeling that the father will protest which he does not long afterward. 

“That is not true. Tildir only wants to protect you from your own impulsivity and recklessness. He is a good man who will see to your every need.”

“Protect me from my own impulsivity and recklessness?! See to my every need?! Do not make me laugh, father. Tildir will not allow me to leave my own house without him or a friend accompanying me. It will be like a prison for me. Not to mention that I will need to ask him for money to buy the most basic things. He already told me that I would only get money if it is absolutely necessary that I would need to buy something myself. All the other times he would do it. That I absolutely refuse to accept.”

“You only have such strange thoughts because you interacted with that Rohirrim. Tildir would not have allowed you to consider such things. Once you finally marry him will you be kept safe from all that by him. And what with that marrying for love, do not make me laugh. Love is not necessary for a marriage. Besides, you will learn to love him in time. Of that I am sure.”

“I will not! I will never love him!”

Denethor can predict how this will end if no one interferes. Father and daughter will have a fight in front of the court. He looks towards Gil and the stewards to see if he can tell who will interfere. He sees how steward Halbarad is wearing a curious but also amused look on his face. Faramir, he sees, is looking thoughtful at the father and daughter. And Gil? 

Denethor sees how he seems to be highly amused by the impending fight. At least that is the only thing that might explain his amused expression. Only, he sees the amused look but for a short time. Gil’s expression changes to a serious one. Not long after the change, Gil asks a question that stems the impending fight completely. 

“Mistress, might I ask how you would gain approval for marriage in Rohan. There you need your father’s approval just as you do here.”

“I know that Your Majesty, but in Rohan, there is a way to go around that. Ardwulf told me that we could ask king Éomer to give his consent. By the laws of Rohan, it makes a father's approval irrelevant. In certain situations, it might be seen as a father's approval.”

Smart girl. It is clear that she thought everything through. She knew about her father's reaction and as such ensured that she had a way to get done what she needs. Or at least what she wants to get done. It is remarkably ingenious.  

“You will not! I forbid it! Your Majesty, I ask you to forbid it. She is not to interact with Rohirrim ever again. I ask you to order her to marry Tildir.”

Well, the father’s reaction is not surprising. In fact, Denethor expected it. Now the father repeated his request once more. A request which he still finds as unreasonable as possible. To add a new request to it makes it absolutely not more reasonable. Another thing he expects right now it that the daughter will plead to not follow her father’s request. A reaction he does not have to wait long to receive. 

“No, please Your Majesty. Do not make me marry Tildir. All I want is to be able to leave for Rohan and marry Ardwulf. I do not want to have anything to do with Tildir ever again.”

Denethor wonders what Gil will decide for it is the only thing left that has to be done. If it were him who had to decide them he would allow her to leave for Rohan once she is of age. This since she does not appear to be an adult to him. As such it will ensure that the love she feels for Ardwulf is real. At the same time, he would have some words for the father. 

He would tell the father that it is clear that he cares deeply for his daughter. But at the same time, it is also clear that he does not listen to her wishes. Pushing her into a marriage she does not agree with will only result in misery for his daughter. He should only make such arrangements once she voiced her acceptance of his plans. Otherwise, he would have to make new plans. Lastly, he would deny his request to forbid her to interact with Rohirrim. That is something which can be arranged in other ways. It is not something on which he has to decide. 

Looking into the room once more, he waits for Gil to speak up. He sees how the father is shuffling nervously. At the same time, the daughter is looking patiently at Gil. It is clear to see for all who is more nervous of the two. Finally, Gil speaks up to pronounce his judgment. 

“I will not forbid the young maiden to interact with Rohirrim. They are our close allies and some are even dear friends to my stewards and me. Additionally, young one, I will not force you to marry someone you do not want. I give you my blessing to seek out your lover from Rohan and marry him. It would be unwise to deny you the possibility to marry the one you love. A party of traders will leave in a few days. If you can have everything you need and want to take with you packed then I will arrange with them for you to travel with them.”

“Le hannon, Your Majesty.”

While saying this the maiden curtsies deeply. It shows the depth of her gratitude. The father will not be that happy with the ruling. He expects him to try and fight it but before the father can to so Faramir stands up and closes the audience. 

“So has ruled Elessar Envyatar Telcontar, high king of Gondor and Arnor. This audience has ended.”

Denethor would very much like to see the fathers face right now that his chance to protest disappeared before him. He imagines that he will not be happy with this just as he will not be happy about this ruling. If he is not furious that is.

He finds that the decisions made today in the matter brought before Gil shows one thing. Gil is a good lord who strives to be kind but firm to his people. He would have been a good king had he taken the throne earlier. But as to why he did not, Denethor does not understand. No one of real importance would have protested since they all know him or would have accepted his and his father’s words. Only a few minor lords would have. 

“Denethor?”

“Yes, Fin. What is the matter?”

“I did not ask you this earlier but did I hear it correctly by what name the Herald called the prince in whose company we have spent the last few days. Is he really our little Faramir?”

“I believe so, Fin. I do not imagine that a herald would call someone by a name that does not belong to them. Nor by a title they do not own. Also, I am certain that the same is true for people. They would not have accepted it. You know that our suspicion is thus confirmed?”

“I do know that.”

As Finduilas says this, Denethor sees how she has a frown on her face. He knows that an earlier worry will have come back now. The same is also true for him. They both worry about what could have happened to Boromir that Faramir became steward. Not that he is unhappy with it. Nor does he believe that Fin is unhappy with it. It is good to see how well his son does his duty and has been raised. 

As they are thinking about all that Bergil leaves the room which Denethor notices. It makes him wonder where Bergil has gone to. Has he gone to discuss where they need to go to now that court has finished? He would have thought that they would be taken back to their room. Even though he would have liked to talk to Gil for some time. Either alone or together with Finduilas wants to come with him. Well, he will have to ask Faramir if he can arrange a private audience once he has the time to speak with him. 

“Meleth, what are your thoughts on the two larger cases brought before Gil?”

“I think that he handled them both well. The trader was punished justly and the maiden got what she deserves. She should be with the one she loves and not forced to spend time with someone she despises.”

As he says this he takes Finduilas’ hand in his and brings it to his mouth before placing a kiss on the back of her hand. The laughter he receives from her in response pleases him. It shows that he succeeded in his objective to make her smile. The frown she wore earlier is not what he likes to see on her face. After some, she has calmed down enough to be able to respond to what he said. 

“I agree, he handled it well. He is just but also compassionate with his people. At the same time, he can be strict when he needs to be such as was the case with the trader and the father.”

“You are right. That showed clearly during the handling of the two cases.”

As he says this, Denethor looks over the courtroom. He can see that everyone is slowly leaving. It tells him that it is also time for them to leave. Unfortunately, they will have to wait for Bergil to return. As he escorted them to this sitting area he also has to escort them back to their guest room. His musing is cut short by Finduilas asking him a question. 

“Would you have fought Gil had he maids a claim when he was last in Gondor?”

“No, I would not have done that. It was at that time not my decision to make but my father’s. Also, I would not have made a problem had my father acknowledged his claim on one condition.”

“And what would that condition have been, meleth?”

“I would have not accepted it where my family to have faded from importance once the king has returned.”

“Which has not happened for as far as I can tell.”

“That is right.”

He knows this is the case since Faramir still holds an important position within Gondor. If he thinks about it then the position as Prince of Ithilien has actually been granted by Gil. This since he does not know about the existence of the title. And he knows all titles that exist within Gondor. 

Just then he hears the door opening and he turns around towards the door. He sees Bergil entering the sitting area but not far. Bergil stays standing in the doorway. Denethor frowns for he does not know why Bergil would do that. Would it not be more logical to enter the room fully than stay standing in the doorway. Or does Bergil have a reason for it? Finduilas voices his thoughts. 

“Is there a reason as to why you stay standing in the doorway, Bergil?”

“Yes, mistress. There is a reason I stay standing here. You and the master have been granted a private audience with high king Elessar.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> Le hannon: thank you


	12. Chapter 12

Meanwhile, as Denethor and Finduilas discuss the court they witnessed, Aragorn walked quietly out of the courtroom together with his stewards. They know that they cannot speak freely in the courtroom for people could overhear them. It would not do for the people to know that their lords would talk about the cases brought before them hence their silence.

At the same time, they knew that each of them would like to talk about the cases that were brought before them. This since they have always done so with cases where people confound them for one reason or another. Once they are out of the courtroom that is just what do. They talk about the people that confounded them earlier.

“That trader! He was truly egotistic. To think that his own troubles are more important than maintaining his business. Especially when his troubles were caused by his own actions.”

Aragorn can clearly see the confusion on Halbarad’s face. Confusion focused on the way the trader thought. He experiences the same confusion but also some frustration. Frustration since it took his stewards some time to get the truth revealed. A truth he already suspected when the trader started to defend himself. It would not surprise him had his stewards suspected the same thing.

After the sentencing, he still has hope that the trader will learn from this. How well, he has no idea. As he agrees with Halbarad he decides to tell him as such. But before he can Halbarad speaks up again.

“Well, at least he got what he deserved.”

“That is true, Halbarad. I just hope that his punishment will serve as a lesson to him. I do not want to see him again with a similar situation.”

“I have my reservations about that, Aragorn. I do not think that he will learn from this.”

“I have my reservations too, Faramir, but one can always have hope.”

“You are right to say that, Aragorn. But we both suspect that it is an idle hope, do we not?”

Aragorn nods in agreement. He suspects it but will not give up hope until he sees the trader again or hears complains about him. What he suspects is that if it happens then it will be quite some time before a new complaint is brought forward. But after his ruling today, the magistrates will know that they need to be more suspicious and inquiring in similar cases like the ones the trader was involved with. The same counts for other cases.

Thinking about the magistrates has him considering the carpenter’s complaint about them. How truthful it is, Aragorn does not know. Still, it cannot be a problem to take a look into them. As he and his stewards will soon be too busy with the Kahn’s visit, he might forget about it. That is why he decides to inform Faramir and Halbarad about his intention. This way he wants to ensure that there will be a look into the working of the magistrates should he forget about it.

“Do you remember what the trader said about the magistrates?”

Well, telling them? Not at first. First, he wants to know if they remember what the carpenter said and what they would do with the complaint. They are after all his advisers and thus should advise him. After receiving their advice will he make a decision. Whether that is one of their suggestions or his own intention, time will tell.

“Yes, I do remember it. He complained that the magistrates did not look deeply into the statements of the trader. As such he did not trust to handle his case fairly and brought it before you.”

Halbarad nods in agreement to what Faramir just said. It tells Aragorn that both remembered what the carpenter said. What it does not explain is what they would do with the complaint that was made.

“You do not ask about it for no reason, do you Aragorn?”

Halbarad’s question is true for he had a purpose to his question. As such he nods in agreement. His agreement makes Halbarad continue with what he intended to say.

“You want to know what we would do with the complaint? I would take a look into the working of the magistrates to see where the complaint came from. It could be nothing or it could be something severe. We will not know so long as we do not look into it. It will tell the people that we listen to their complaints.”

“I agree with lord Halbarad. The complaint justifies a look into the magistrates and will ease the public’s mind. If you agree then I write a report on the complaint and put it with the others we will be looking at once the Kahn’s visit has ended”

“Please do so, Faramir.”

It is silent for a short while during which everyone focuses on their own thoughts. The silence is broken when Halbarad speaks up once again.

“What impression did you have of the maidens father? I had the impression that his insistence on her marrying Tildir came from more than what we were told.”

“I agree with you on that, Halbarad. There was more to it. We will not know what it is unless the father or Tildir will tell us. I doubt that the maiden knows it what it is.”

Aragorn had that impression early on during the court. That is why he took precautions before he pronounced his judgment. This way the father cannot force her to do anything she does not want. His musing is interrupted by Faramir.

“Aragorn, why did one of the servants guide the maiden somewhere away from her father?”

“I saw that too. Well? Why did you do that? More importantly, when did you tell the servants to do it? I do not remember that you gave any orders to the servants once we were in the courtroom.”

Halbarad of course. Who else but one of his Dúnedain would talk to him like that. The lords of Gondor always talk to him respectfully. Aragorn chooses to ignore Halbarad for now and focuses on answering Faramir’s question.

“To answer your question, Faramir, I had a servant guide her to one of the inns in the sixth level. There she can stay until she leaves for Rohan if she wants .  When she will go collect her possessions, a guard will go with her.”

Aragorn waits for a short while to see how Faramir and Halbarad will deem his decisions. It does not take Faramir long to respond.

“I think that was a sensible decision. What moved you to make it?”

He can see the confusion on Faramir’s face. Halbarad’s face reflects the same confusion. Well, confusion? He believes that their confusion is in fact suspicion. It is as if they already have an idea of why he made the decision. Something which would not surprise him should their suspicion be true. Well, there is only one way to see if his own suspicions are true and that is by answering Faramir’s question.

“I made the decision because I do not believe that the father will accept my judgment. I fear that he will try to force his daughter into the marriage regardless of what I told him. As such, I thought it best if the maiden stays somewhere where I know she will be safe and where her father has no control.”

“Yes, I thought that you did that for that reason. I fear the same as you do. The father will not leave it to this.”

To this they all nod. It is what they expect from the father based on his reactions. Not that they doubt that he loves his daughter. It is simply that he shows his love in a, for them, strange way.

They stay silent while they consider this. After some time, Halbarad breaks the silence.

“I assume that the servant is instructed to inform the innkeeper about the maiden’s situation and that she should not leave on her own with her father?”

“Yes, Halbarad, I had the servant instructed to do that. To answer your earlier question concerning when I gave the instructions to the servant that was when both were pleading to me. I had made my decision by then. As such I had Pippin bring the instructions to one of the servants.”

“That was well done. But then, it is the only way to get instructions to the servants and ensure that no one learns about it. Periannath are good at getting around people without them noticing.”

As Halbarad says this, they all share understanding and amused smiles. Amusement at the ability of periannath to get around people silently. And understanding for they all experienced the periannath’ ability.

“Well, what work do we now have left to finish?”

“We need to finish the preparations for the Kahn’s visit.”

Aragorn is impressed by Faramir’s calmness in responding. He would have given Halbarad a harsher response. It is actually what Halbarad wants to get. He was only trying to bait him. Faramir’s response actually stopped Halbarad from baiting anyone. For that, he is Faramir grateful. Just as he wants to speak up, hearing a voice stops him.

“Your Highness?”

They all turn in the direction the voice came from and see a young man standing there. A young man they all recognize immediately. Bergil interrupted their conversation.

“What has you seek me out, Bergil?”

The flush on Bergil’s face tells him that he knows that he interrupted their conversation. Bergil’s words confirm it.

“I am sorry to interrupt your conversation, my lord, Your Highness, Sire. I came to ask, Your Highness, where I should bring your guests to now that court has finished.”

“I am not sure, Bergil. I know that His Majesty wants to meet with them. But I do not know where he would like to meet with them.”

“Why do you say that, Faramir?”

Aragorn saw Bergil nodding in answer to what Faramir said. But he is confused for he has no idea why Faramir would say that. Hence his question.

He is certain that Faramir can determine a room that would be appropriate. Faramir knows that he does not mind a lot where he meets with people. He would only mind where he to meet with them in his private rooms. Something which Faramir never suggested for guests. As such he does not understand why Faramir would say that.

“I say that as I do not know which room would be appropriate considering the circumstances.”

Faramir gives him a look while saying this. It tells him that there is more to his words than what he said. Faramir wants to point out that he does not know which room would be appropriate for meeting with his parents.

Aragorn wonders if Halbarad has noticed it. Looking at him, he sees the confusion on Halbarad’s face. That is why he suspects that Halbarad has noticed.

He waits for Halbarad to speak up while considering the rooms that are available for use. He does not have wait long for Halbarad to speak up. 

“What am I missing? There is more to you meeting with Faramir’s guests than what has been said. Why the secrecy?”

Well, that tells him that Halbarad had noticed the same thing he did. Aragorn is well aware that he cannot give Halbarad the answers he seeks while they are standing in the hallway behind the courtroom.

He mentions for all three to follow him and walks as quickly as possible to one of the free rooms in this hallway. Walking he does at a quick pace but not so much that he would give the impression that he is hurrying somewhere. It would worry the servants should they get that expression. The rumors they would create are something he wants to prevent. If he can, that is.

Once inside an unoccupied room, Aragorn turns to Halbarad. Here, in this room, he can explain to Halbarad what he is missing and also why they are so secretive about Faramir’s guests.

“The guests we are speaking about are Faramir’s parents who have somehow traveled through time. How we do not know but hope to discover by talking to them. We both feel they need to return to their own time. As such we deem it best that as few people as possible know about their presence both in this time and in the city.”

As Halbarad hears this he instantly turns to Faramir and looks him over carefully. The scrutiny makes it clear that he does not believe this to be true. Something which is not so surprising since there are no records of something like this ever happening. Nor are there stories or legends about it.

“Are you sure, Faramir, that you are not imagining something? Nor that they are people pretending to be your deceased parents?”

“I am sure that both are not the case. There are more people than just me who recognized them as my parents. I know they are not conspiring with anyone because I am certain of their loyalty. Aragorn was worried about the same things as you are now but I managed to ease his concerns.”

As Faramir says this, Aragorn sees how Halbarad carefully pays attention to Faramir. He knows that this is the way Halbarad will determine if Faramir truly says he believes and that he is not being fooled. After some time after Faramir finished his explanation, Halbarad finally speaks up.

“Alright, I believe you, Faramir.”

Halbarad then turns to Aragorn. From the look on Halbarad’s face, he has ideas as to what he will be told.

“Do not meet with them on your own.”

“Of course, naneth.”

Aragorn had expected this from Halbarad based on the look he received. It is also the reason why he called Halbarad naneth. Halbarad acted like a concerned mother. A behavior, Halbarad has shown for quite some time ever since they got to know each other well after his return to his people. Much to his irritation in the beginning but as time passed he learned how to deal with it.

He quickly decides to turn back to the topic they were discussing before Halbarad interrupted them. That topic still needs to be discussed if only so that Bergil will know where to take Denethor and Finduilas to. As well as for Faramir and him to know where to meet with them.

“Faramir, why do you not know which room is appropriate for us to meet your parents in. There are multiple rooms available that are appropriate. You know that, do you not?”

At Faramir’s nod, he has his feeling confirmed. It means that he can inform Faramir about the decision he made earlier. The choice for the room will be in Faramir’s hands.

“Then I will leave to choice for the room in your capable hands, Faramir.”

“Ben iest lîn, Aragorn. I did not make the decision earlier as I did not want to take liberties. I am aware of the relationship between my father and you.”

Aragorn and Halbarad share a look at the same time as Faramir turns to Bergil. They wonder what he knows of the relationship between Denethor and him. There is a difference in how the relationship was in the beginning and in the end. The end of his service in Gondor that is. They do not fail to hear Faramir instructing Bergil. 

“Please guide my parents to the lesser audience room in the south hall, Bergil. We will meet them there in about fifteen minutes.”

“Carathon i iest lîn, my lord. De harathon.”

Bergil bows before leaving the room. They all know that he will now be seeking Denethor and Finduilas out in the sitting area where he left them. After Bergil has left, a comfortable silence falls over the room. While the silence lasts the room’s occupants have emerged themselves in their own thoughts. Halbarad once more breaks the silence after a while.

“What do you two hope to achieve with the meeting? You said earlier that you deem it important that they return to their own time. Do you hope to achieve that? And what will you do if you do not find a way to send them to their own time?”

“That is indeed what we hope to achieve, Halbarad. We want to determine how to return my parents to their own time. If that fails then we need to determine what we will do with them. Where they will live then and what work they can do. For both your approval is needed, Aragorn.”

Faramir looks at him as he says the last part. As it is not something he wants to discuss right now, Aragorn decides to steer the conversation away from this. More importantly, discussing and considering it is only necessary if they cannot find a way to return them to their own time. For that, they will have to see the meeting will go. That is also what he tells Faramir. 

“We will see what the meeting will bring us, Faramir. But let us shed the dress from our office first. That way we will be able to meet your family in more comfortable clothing.”

“That I would certainly prefer, Aragorn”

The smile and words he gets in response tell him that Faramir is pleased by his suggestion. Then he turns to Halbarad to see if he wants to join Faramir and he in meeting Denethor and Finduilas.

“Do you want to join us during the meeting, Halbarad?”

Halbarad holds up his hands and shakes his head while he answers. Clear signs that he will not join them.

“No, no. I will not join you two. You can certainly handle everything without me. I will be in my office working on my duties as well as lessening yours, cousin, for as much as I am able to that is.”

“Thank you, Halbarad. That will certainly lessen the time in need to spend on my duties later today. Though I will not be upset if you decide to take some time off today.”

“I am always happy to serve you. Just so you know I will not take time off today. You know what it will mean for me tomorrow if I do.”

With that Halbarad leaves, the room leaving him and Faramir standing. Aragorn shakes his head bemused. He knows what Halbarad was pointing at. Taking time off one day means having to make up for it the next day.

After a quick look at Faramir, they also leave the room and go to their own rooms to get changed. Halbarad walks in the direction of his office from what Aragorn can see.

* * *

While Aragorn and Faramir are shedding their formal robes, Bergil guides Denethor and Finduilas to the lesser audience room. Once more, they are wearing their cloaks with the hoods up. Again to ensure that their faces can not be seen by anyone.

Denethor remembers that he already covered himself before Bergil told them to. He expected it since the other times they walked in public they had to cover themselves. When he looked at Finduilas when Bergil told them he saw that she was already in the process of covering herself. Also, because she must have expected it.

As for now, they are walking through the south hallway. A hallway, Denethor recognizes well for here the informal audience rooms are located. It would not surprise him should they be guided to the lesser audience room located in this hallway. That room has more than enough space to meet in while at the same time not arising suspicion with anyone. He knows that the lesser audience room is used to meet with guests who are not important. Additionally, concealed meetings take place in this room.

Soon they are near the end of the hallway and Bergil starts to move into the direction of one specific set of doors. These carefully decorated doors are made of rich wood and well concealed. Denethor recognizes these doors immediately when he sees them. It confirms his suspicion that they will be meeting in the lesser audience room.

When Bergil opens the door, he mentions for them to enter the room. Inside Denethor sees a room he remembers well. Comfortable couches, chairs and a table stand around the room. On the floor beneath them lies a brown rug. On the wall, Denethor sees decorations he has not seen before. He suspects that they are not of Gondorian origin for he would have recognized the style of the decorations otherwise. But who would have brought them to Gondor, he does not know.

Then he remembers that Faramir talked about Dar. This Dar must be the son of Gil for Gil is Elessar. That gives him some idea as who brought the decorations. They must have been brought by Gil’s wife. This knowledge makes him take a closer look at decorations to determine where she came from.

Looking at the decorations he notices that they are unlike anything he has ever seen. He has to admit that they are beautifully made. The descriptions on it are detailed and finely stitched. If Gil’s wife made them then she must be skilled with embroidery. Of that Denethor is certain.

“These are beautiful tapestries. Who made them?”

Fin’s words pull him from his musing. He looks up to see that Fin is also looking at the tapestries. It does not surprise that she noticed them. Nor that she finds them beautiful. Things like this she has always liked. This thought makes him smile. Especially, because she will be seeking the creator out as soon as she can. If she does not then he does not know his wife well.

“I agree with you that they are beautiful. But I do not know who made them any more than you do. What I suspect that Gil’s wife brought them with her when she came to Gondor.”

“Ah, yes. Gil’s wife. Do you know who she is and where she comes from?”

Dammit, now he has brought something to Fin’s attention. A matter which he, to his own annoyment, knows very little about. The only things he knows are snippets of what Gil has mentioned to him in the past. Also, he wants to avoid being pressed too much so he decides to tell Fin that he knows little.

“How would I know that? I know as much as you do.”

Hopefully, this will satisfy her. He knows that what he knows will not satisfy her and wants to avoid disappointing her. But when he looks at Fin’s face, Denethor sees how she is looking thoughtful at him. There goes his attempt. Well, it was worth a try. Moments later, Fin voices her thoughts.

“True, but you have spent a lot of time with Gil on campaigns and during training. He must have said something about her then. Or at the very least about someone he loves.”

“It is true that he mentioned that he loves a northern lady. He claimed that the lady is if exceptional beauty. But I did not make much of it. Her father is from what I could pick up an important man who Gil respects greatly. But further, than that, he never spoke of her.”

He sees how she is disappointed by this less than satisfying information. He knew she would be disappointed and now she is. At the same time, the information is also unsatisfying for him. Denethor would have liked to know more about her. If not to tell Fin about her than to know who the woman Gil has evidently married is.

Suddenly, they hear the door being opened. They immediately turn around and see Faramir and Gil walking into the room. Both carry trays in their hands. On the trays, Denethor sees refreshments, glasses and a decanter. Due to the presence of the decanter, Denethor knows that they will be served wine during the meeting. Both men place the trays on the table.

Denethor sees how Gil looks at him impassively. Behind the impassive look, he gets the impression that Gil is nervous and uneasy. Denethor wonders why Gil feels like this but then remembers the fight they had before Gil left. That would certainly explain Gil’s unease and nervousness. Unfortunately, before he could say something Fin has already embraced Faramir.

“I am so proud of you, Faramir. You have a nice family and serve a good lord.”

“Thank you, nana.”

Denethor sees how Faramir smiles relieved at the words he receives from his naneth. At the same time, his shoulders slacken from their tenseness. It is clear that he is pleased with the reaction he received from his naneth now that she knows that he is her son.

Denethor walks up to Faramir once the embrace eases. When he reached Faramir, he places a hand on Faramir’s shoulder once Fin has fully released Faramir from their embrace.

“I agree with your naneth, ion nin. I am proud of what you have done and the family you possess.”

At this, he gets a pleased smile which is a bit strained. The uneasiness he saw when he touched Faramir nearly fully disappears. It eases his mind a bit though he wonders what has happened between them that his own son would feel uneasy around him. Uneasy enough that he would not be able to fully let go of his unease.

It is then that he looks at Gil. Even though Gil’s expression is still impassive, Denethor is able to recognize relief on Gil’s face. Relief at the reaction they gave Faramir. He walks up to Gil for he intends to greet him first. He bows to Gil once he reaches him.

“Ai, Aran Elessar. Gwannas lû and.”

“Ai, Denethor son of Ecthelion. It has indeed been too long.”

It is then that they grip each other arms in the manner warriors greet each other. They stay in this position for some time while smiling at each other until the scraping of a throat pulls them out of it. Denethor turns his head to sees Fin standing behind them with an impatient expression.

“You have greeted him long enough, meleth. Now it is my time to do so.”

Smiling amused, Denethor releases Gil and allows Fin to greet him. She embraces him strongly which is returned in full effect. It is clear that they have missed each other and are happy to see each other again. Just as was the case for Gil and him. Gil and Fin stay in their embrace for a short while before releasing each other.

“Why do we not sit down?”

“Of course, Gil. Or what should I call you? Aragorn or Elessar?”

It is something which Denethor has been wondering about for some time. Now with Gil’s offer for everyone to sit down, he decides that it is a good time to ask it. He sees that Gil smiles at his question. He receives a reaction not long afterward.

“Please call me Aragorn for that is my true name.”

“Of course, Aragorn.”

Denethor knew that Aragorn is Gil’s real name. He simply does not show it. For now, he will keep it to himself that he knows Gil’s real name. But then, now that Gil has said it, it is time to start thinking about him not as Gil but as Aragorn.

Everyone sits down after this declaration. Just as Aragorn wants to speak up again, the door opens. They all look to the door to see who would disturb them.

Denethor sees Éowyn standing there with a beautiful dark haired lady. Is this lady Aragorn’s wife? She certainly looks very similar to Fin.

“Arwen, Éowyn. What are you two doing here?”

“We decided to join you for the upcoming discussion. Whatever is discussed here concerns us too, Estel. You know that.”

“Of course I know that, meleth. I actually did not think you would want to join us so I did not ask you. Still, you must have made the decision earlier as there are enough glasses for all to drink wine.”

“That I certainly did. I made the decision for me to join you as soon as I learned about this meeting. At that time, Éowyn was with me and told me that she wanted to join the coming discussion. That was before the trays were put together by the servants.“

Denethor sees how Aragorn smiles amused. A feeling he shares for it is clear that the ladies involve themselves in important matters. At least more than would be normal with most lords. Their husbands clearly do not see fault in it.

As for the children, they will most likely be in the care of a nurse. He suspects that they are all used to the care that nurses provide them with. Noblewomen cannot look after their children all the time for they have matters to attend to. At those times nurses care for the children.

“ I am sure that you know the reason for this meeting.”

“Yes, we do. This meeting is to determine what you will do with us.”

“I would not put it like that. But it is true that you are the reason for this meeting. We need to determine how we will get you back to your own time. If that fails then we need to determine what you will do in this time and where you will live.”

Denethor nods for that are reasonable objectives for this meeting. The first hour, they spend on discussing possibilities for them in case they cannot return to their own time. After that, they turn their attention to how they got to this time.

“How did you arrive in this time, Denethor?”

Thus Denethor explains what happened before they arrived in this time. Knowing that details are needed, he tells as many details as he can. Aragorn gets a thoughtful expression on his face the further along he is in his explanation. Once he is done with his explanation, Denethor sees how Aragorn spends some time in his thoughts before everyone is addressed.

“I believe that we should survey the forest where it happened to see if we can find any indications of what brought you here. No matter how small the chances are that we will find anything.”

To this no one protests or argues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> Ben iest lîn: as you wish  
> Carathon i iest lîn: I will do your wish  
> De harathon: I will do it  
> Ai, Aran Elessar. Gwannas lû and: Heil, King Elessar. It has been too long.


End file.
